Vinícius Jr. News, Transfers, Injuries, Updates, Highlights

The best possible Real Madrid starting XI after Vinicius Junior injury

26Nov

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Features, LaLiga

The best possible Real Madrid starting XI after Vinicius Junior injury

Real Madrid were riding high after another big win in La Liga, following up a 4-0 bounce-back victory over Osasuna with a gritty 3-0 win over Leganes, with Vinicius Junior playing a starring role as a striker in Carlo Ancelotti's latest ploy to coax better performances out of blockbuster signing Kylian Mbappe. Vinicius Jr. created the opener for Mbappe, maneuvering his way into the six-yard-box so that the Frenchman would have an easy tap-in, but the real Vini headline after the match was a less positive one. Real Madrid already lost their best center back, Eder Militao, during the win over Osasuna, and now this match against Leganes has costed them their best overall player in Vini Jr. The Brazilian winger will be out for around a month with a muscular injury, ruling him out of t...

The Real Madrid star who would benefit most from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s injury

23Nov

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Champions League, Features, LaLiga, Premier League

The Real Madrid star who would benefit most from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s injury

Real Madrid and Liverpool will square off on Wednesday night in the Champions League in the latest iteration of the two clubs going at it on a European night. Beyond the famous finals in 2018 and 2022 - Real won both - they also went at it in the Champions League quarterfinals in 2020/21 and in the 2022/23 group stages. But this time, Liverpool look like the favorites. Whereas Real Madrid are six points behind Barcelona in La Liga coming into this weekend, the Reds are in a commanding first in the Premier League under new coach Arne Slot. Like Real Madrid, though, Liverpool are dealing with injuries of their own, and one of their most prominent going into Wednesday night's fixture is to right back Trent Alexander-Arnold. The 26-year-old is enjoying another productive season here i...

Transfer Rumors: Vinicius Jr. open to Saudi’s outrageous plan to sign him from Real Madrid

3Nov

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

LaLiga

Transfer Rumors: Vinicius Jr. open to Saudi’s outrageous plan to sign him from Real Madrid

Real Madrid left winger Vinicius Junior is the news after a bizarre Ballon d'Or snub in which a player who didn't even win the Player of the Season in his league (his teammate did) and lost the Champions League in direct competition to Vini Jr. won the once-prestigious award despite having numbers similar to Declan Rice. Rodri's Ballon d'Or victory has been met with scorn but also defenses of the decision that largely focus on debasing Vini Jr.'s character - even though he literally won the Socrates Award in 2023 for his humanitarian efforts to help those in need financially and combat racism - rather than praising Rodri in any material way. Regardless of the lunacy perpetuated by the likes of Rebecca Lowe and others, Vinicius Jr. has also been embroiled in another story that is even...

The case for Vinícius Júnior as the true 2024 Ballon d’Or winner

29Oct

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

LaLiga

The case for Vinícius Júnior as the true 2024 Ballon d’Or winner

The 2024 Ballon d'Or debate brought forth several compelling candidates, each with an undeniable impact on club and international football. Yet, when the dust settled, Manchester City’s Rodri ultimately took home the trophy, while Vinícius Júnior was left in his shadow. Although the result was leaked before the announcement, it still took many by surprise, with fans even chanting for Vini Jr. before the award was revealed to be going for Rodri. What also puzzled many fans was how Vini Jr. carried so much of the momentum to win the Ballon d'Or, looking like a shoe-in to win, before Rodri was suddenly named as the favorite on the day of, with Spanish sources even leaking of UEFA retaliating against Real Madrid for their past Super League involvement. It was a victory for Rodri, but ...

UCL’s 3 best players of the day: Minamino joins Vini Jr. and Juve’s unsung hero

22Oct

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Champions League, Features

UCL’s 3 best players of the day: Minamino joins Vini Jr. and Juve’s unsung hero

AS Monaco FW Takumi Minamino Takumi Minamino didn't score a goal as spellbinding as Wilfried Singo (seriously, if your team needs a center back, you should look this guy up), nor was he as active as 22-year-old standout Maghnes Akliouche. But when it comes to pure efficiency, Minamino stood above everyone else, finishing two "gimme" chances with ease while recording an assist of his own. Minaminio was in the right place at the right time, putting on a clinic in positioning while making smart interplay and creating multiple chances for his teammates. With Monaco dominating the ball and so many of his teammates itching to take defenders on, Minamino was smart about taking up central positions away from his teammates in positions where a goal would be possible. Without those keen in...

Man City star wants Vinicius Jr. to win Ballon d’Or over Rodri

12Oct

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

LaLiga, Premier League

Man City star wants Vinicius Jr. to win Ballon d’Or over Rodri

At this point, it seems like a foregone conclusion that Real Madrid superstar left winger Vinicius Junior will win the 2024 Ballon d'Or after a ludicrous second half of the 2023/24 season, overcoming injury and abuse to lead Los Blancos to convincing Champions League and La Liga title triumphs. Vinicius Jr. finished the 2023/24 season with 15 goals and 5 assists despite only starting 22 games due to injury, and he was even more prolific in the Champions League with 6 goals and 4 assists in 10 starts with an average of 3.7 dribbles completed per game. There are a number of other valid competitors for the Ballon d'Or, but the only two that have gained significant traction are Real Madrid teammate Jude Bellingham and Manchester City defensive midfielder Rodri, who was part of the City s...

Jude Bellingham: ‘They are trying to create something negative between me, Mbappe, Rodrygo and Vinicius’

18Sep

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Features, LaLiga

Jude Bellingham: ‘They are trying to create something negative between me, Mbappe, Rodrygo and Vinicius’

Real Madrid have the most dynamic quartet of superstars in world football in Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe, and Rodrygo Goes. All four are Ballon d'Or caliber players, and all four are showing signs of clicking together after a handful of starts at Real Madrid. Vinicius Jr., Bellingham, and Rodrygo already won the Champions League and LaLiga together before Mbappe's arrival, and now with Mbappe becoming the primary scorer after multiple seasons as the top goal-scorer in Ligue 1, the ceiling is even higher for Real Madrid. Before Mbappe stepped foot at the Santiago Bernabeu, there were many in the media raising concerns about too many cooks in the kitchen and a possible clash of egos in the Real Madrid locker room. Jude Bellingham, who has been the subject of plen...

Thibaut Courtois loved that Endrick didn’t pass to Kylian Mbappe or Vinicius Jr.

18Sep

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Features, LaLiga

Thibaut Courtois loved that Endrick didn’t pass to Kylian Mbappe or Vinicius Jr.

Young Real Madrid star striker Endrick came off the bench against Stuttgart in his Champions League debut and produced yet another wondergoal that will live in the history books. Channeling his childhood hero Bobby Charlton, Endrick unleashed an absolute rocket from way outside the box to beat the Stuttgart keeper for full pace, having carried the ball out of his own half. Most young players would not have shot in that situation, because Endrick was actually leading a three-on-two counterattack. And who were the other two in the three? Literally the two best forwards in the world, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. But Endrick, as he said in the press conference after the Real Madrid win, believed the best option was to shoot from range instead of passing. And when you have his striki...

Carlo Ancelotti: ‘What has happened to Vinicius all these years…it’s something unbearable’

16Sep

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Features, LaLiga

Carlo Ancelotti: ‘What has happened to Vinicius all these years…it’s something unbearable’

Week in and week out, Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior continues to be the victim of racism in LaLiga stadiums, with supporters of other clubs hurling racial slurs and conducting themselves in a manner that should be entirely unacceptable. These are criminally punishable acts that could also be punished at a league level by LaLiga and the Spanish FA, and there was actually a case in 2023 when Atletico Madrid supporters were finally held legally accountable for a disgusting act of racism against Vinicius Jr. that included an effigy mocking the Real Madrid star. This past weekend, Vinicius Jr. had another strong performance for Real Madrid in a 2-0 win over Real Sociedad, scoring the penalty and shushing the crowd in a celebration that became a bigger talking point in the Spanish ...

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

9Sep

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Champions League, Features

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...