Tag: Vinícius Júnior

An early look at the 10 best candidates to win the 2025 Ballon d’Or
Analysis

An early look at the 10 best candidates to win the 2025 Ballon d’Or

I always find it funny how the Ballon d'Or narrative changes over the course of a year - or season, now that the timeframe of the award has changed. Like, when the 2023/24 season first started, all anyone could do was praise Jude Bellingham for taking LaLiga by storm, putting Real Madrid back on top, and scoring bangers in El Clasico to help affirm Real's return to dominance. The guy was leading the league in goals as a midfielder, and while his performances did decline a bit in the second half of the season, we are talking about a decline from being by far the best player in Europe to "just" being great. And it's not like Bellingham was bad at the Euros either. England almost won it, and he was literally the best player in the Final which England came agonizingly close to winning...
Ranking the 10 best dribblers in world football right now in 2024
Analysis

Ranking the 10 best dribblers in world football right now in 2024

Few player profiles captivating the world football audience's attention more than fleet-footed dribblers. Whether they are explosive progressors who eat up space before putting defenders on skates or playmakers who subtly weave their magic to carve up an entire defense, those superstars who can create something out of nothing but their own genius and athletic ability are more coveted an anyone. That holds true for managers, too. Pep Guardiola has become infatuated with elite dribblers, and a couple of these recent additions will show up on this list of the best dribblers in world football today. Other managers feel the same, as Carlo Ancelotti, for example, has always had a soft spot for flair dribblers like current superstars Rodrygo Goes and Vinicius Junior. (Spoiler: They will sho...
6 players who could leave Real Madrid after this season
Analysis

6 players who could leave Real Madrid after this season

While the competitions are still ongoing, it’s reached that point of the season where rumors about potential player transfers begin to escalate. Particularly at Real Madrid where transfer drama almost always takes up a good portion of the storylines. A lot has been made about transfers, but very little has been talked about players who could be leaving the club after this season. It’s still unclear who could be those players, but some news outlets have reported that there could be more than one “surprising” and even “painful” departure. With all the speculation, which players could be leaving Real Madrid after this season? Luka Modric Describing Modric’s future departure as “painful” would be an understatement. He’s not only been one of the best and most successful players of his genera...
Ranking the 10 best forwards in men’s football right now in 2023
Analysis

Ranking the 10 best forwards in men’s football right now in 2023

No players are more coveted in world football than the forwards who score the goals, take the defense on, and create the chances that win matches. Every elite club needs an elite forward - and really two - in order to compete at the highest level and truly be an elite team at the Champions League level. So let's take a look at the 10 best forwards in the game, focusing on strikers and wingers whose primary job is to score the goals and create the assists that win their teams' matches. Many of these players are strikers and inverted wingers, because those are the positions that make the biggest difference on the score line in the modern game. 10. Christopher Nkunku Christopher Nkunku will head to Chelsea for the 2023/24 season after being the best Bundesliga player over the last three ...
Final 2022/23 LaLiga Team of the Season
Analysis

Final 2022/23 LaLiga Team of the Season

Now that the 2022/23 LaLiga season has officially come to a close with all the European places decided and the teams heading to the Segunda aware of their fate, it's time to take a look back at the season that was by naming a final Team of the Season. As expected, champions Barcelona dominate this XI, having sewn up the title quite some time ago with their 2-1 head-to-head win over eternal rivals Real Madrid. But not everything is about the "Big 3" as several underrated standouts made the team, including one star from now-relegated side Espanyol. GK Marc-André ter Stegen, Barcelona: Thibaut Courtois would have been the pick in any other season, and Elche's Édgar Badía was also exceptional despite his club's horrible season. But it would be disingenuous to pick against Marc-André t...
Ranking the 10 best wingers in world football for 2023
Analysis

Ranking the 10 best wingers in world football for 2023

Some of the most important players in world football are wingers. They are entrusted with creating chances, scoring goals, stretching the pitch horizontally, testing defenses with vertical runs, easing pressure off strikers, manufacturing space for teammates, progressing the ball as dribblers, and completing take-ons to destabilize the defense. The best wingers in world football are capable of changing games on their own while also being a consistent thorn in the side of the defense. Let's rank the 10 best wingers in the world right now in 2023. 10. Manchester City RW Riyad Mahrez Riyad Mahrez has cooled off a bit, and there are a number of quality wingers at Manchester City. Yet Mahrez's technical class and accomplishments over the years mean that he must be considered one of t...
Analysis

The racism against Vinícius Júnior and the people who embolden it

Real Madrid left winger Vinícius Júnior is one of the best players in LaLiga. His skill, dedication to his craft, and relentless determination on the pitch make him one of the most exciting and influential players in world football. But the ugliness of racism threatens to rob us of the joy of watching Vini Jr. at his most confident, effervescent best. All the while, the Spanish media and federation itself sit idly by or, worse yet, help fan the flames of the racism he faces. There is something about Vinícius Júnior that threatens the most insecure people. Watching a young, successful Black man enjoy his football and his life is, apparently, so threatening to droves of Spanish football fans - and those abroad online who engage in this behavior or defend it - that the Brazilian forward is...