Vinicius Junior bounces back: Shining for Real amidst challenges
Vinicius Junior, a soccer player for Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team hasn't enjoyed the best public relations in recent months. The 24-year-old made headlines when he wasn't awarded the Ballon d'Or for the 2023/2024 season after stating, "I will do it 10 times if I have to." The goal is still distant, but the numbers suggest he's coming.
Real Madrid and Vinicius Junior come to mind. And vice versa. Despite a weak start to the season, especially in the Champions League, Los Blancos hold the second spot behind the surging FC Barcelona, trailing them by six points but having played one game less.
One of Carlo Ancelotti's team's biggest stars, Brazilian Vinicius Junior, has become the subject of mockery and attacks by many fans worldwide. This is all because of his desire to fight against racism, which he regularly suffers from, and the lack of being awarded the Ballon d'Or, for which he was the favourite until the last moment.
This is compounded by problematic results for Los Blancos, especially the memorable "thrashing" by FC Barcelona at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu 0-4, after which Vinicius was cited as one of the culprits for Real Madrid's poor performance. The 24-year-old also regularly disappoints in the national team, scoring only five goals in 37 matches. However, when we look at the stats from the current campaign, it is clear that the Brazilian is playing better than ever.
Vinicius Junior better than ever
In the 2024/2025 season, considering all club matches, Vinicius Junior has played in 17 games, spending 1,432 minutes on the field. During this time, he scored 12 goals and provided seven assists, the best results in the 24-year-old Brazilian's career.
Evidence for this was presented by "The Athletic" journalist Mario Cortegana, who calculated that at the same stage of the last season, "Vini Jr" participated in a goal every 88.11 minutes on average. Still, now he does so every 75.36 minutes.
The arrival of Kylian Mbappe at Real Madrid hasn't fazed the Brazilian, who remains the team's biggest star. He ranks second in the La Liga scoring standings, outdone only by Robert Lewandowski (14 goals and 2 assists). In the same ranking, but in the Champions League, Vini is in fifth place, but he has only one goal behind leader Raphinha.
