Vinicius has evolved into one of the deadliest offensive players in world football. Photo: Getty Images/Gonzalo Arroyo
Immediately after After the final whistle at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, Kyle Walker approached Vinicius Junior and laughed before they embraced. It was pure respect from the Manchester City defender after he went one on one, sprint after sprint, with the Brazilian and only conceded in a moment of pure beauty.
The Real Madrid striker pointed to the sky, apparently reminding Walker that he was trying to defeat him with his «Rainbow Flick» — that cheeky skill of tossing the ball off the floor over an opponent's head. This is usually only seen in warm-ups or possibly Hollywood movies. Vinicius is the leading actor on the list of the best, standing in the way of City and the Champions League final.
In later years, when his goal is shown, everyone will forget that he was completely against the game. City enjoyed possession, over 70 per cent, but after a couple of seconds their hard work was undone and they fell behind to a draw. «The first chance they had, they scored an incredible goal,» said City midfielder Rodri.
What was the purpose. Eduardo Camavinga took the ball forward after Luka Modric beat City's pressure. From pressure to striving for the Ederson gate. When the ball was passed to Vinicius, the very first touch put him on a shot on goal. Ruben Diaz' trying to block meant that one had to aim for one part of the target, which Vini discovered during the full sprint.
There are no recorded measurements of the strongest side shots in football, but Vinicius' will be there with the strongest. "Special Player, Special Target" — such was the verdict of Champions League winner Rio Ferdinand. "He stays inside, and does not go to the side, since that is where he is most dangerous. Pure magic. Power. Accuracy. He's the kind of player who can hit as hard as they want and get clean contact with him."
Carlo Ancelotti was more focused on his team's performance than his star forward's performance. “He is a great striker at a fantastic moment. But the team performed well," the Real Madrid manager said in what seemed like an understatement, possibly referring to next week at the Etihad Stadium.
Ancelotti has one of the strongest players in the competition leading his attack. For half an hour it was only City and Real were on edge until they found Vinicius. This was not a knockout, but a warning of what could happen next week.
It's no wonder Real Madrid included a €700m buyout clause in their contract, given how highly he is valued at the Bernabéu and how he is treated by other Europeans. Although there has been no official announcement of a contract extension, there have been several reports in Spain that it has been agreed.
Until it's announced, he only has one full season left on his current terms, which begs the question why Premier League clubs aren't trying to pressure him back to England. At Real Madrid, they are used to preparing for the signing of contracts for a long time and making it clear who they are targeting. But as it stands now, even with Chelsea spending in January and breaking the British record for incoming transfers, Vinicius was out of the question.
There has been quite a lot of traffic between Madrid and the Premier League in recent seasons. Not all of them were trash either. Casemiro and Rafael Varane have shown that they still have many career opportunities at Manchester United, Martin Odegaard used Arsenal as a platform to showcase his talent, while even Alvaro Morata was a Real Madrid first team player. But the real Galactikos, destined to be the winners in the biggest matches, stay at the club until they are asked to leave.
Vinicius, after scoring his miracle goal against City, rode to the touchline and celebrated the victory over the Real Madrid badge. A show of loyalty to his club in the city that has been his home for five years since he joined for just under £40m from Flamengo. He became the player that Brazilians thought Neymar was, lighting the biggest tournament in Europe with his pace and ruthlessness in front of the net.
Not everything was good in Madrid. In January, Atlético fans hung an effigy of Vinicius in a move that was condemned by La Liga and both Madrid rivals. Earlier this season, fans called him a monkey and there were calls for prosecution due to the racism he faced. And yet no one complained that England was the best home for him. If that were to change, there would be no shortage of takers.
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