Vinicius Junior

Vinícius José Paixão de Oliveira Júnior, commonly known as Vinícius Júnior or Vini Jr., is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club Real Madrid and the Brazil national team. Considered one of the best players in the world, he is known for his pace, technique and dribbling ability

As AS has learned, the Brazilian invited his Real Madrid teammates to a dinner in his home in La Moraleja, a luxury residential area in the north of the Spanish capital. The evening went down well with the whole roster, with Arda Güler, Endrick and Jesús Vallejo, who had valid reasons, the only players not in attendance.

Vinicius has flourished into one of the best players in the world since Madrid first agreed a deal with Flamengo for the -16-year-old prodigy back in 2017. He may not have won the 2024 Ballon d’Or, but he walked away as Best FIFA Men’s Player a few months later.

AS writes that Saudi officials want to test Madrid’s resolve with a €300m (£251.5m) offer, which far exceeds the existing €222m world record when Neymar joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2017. It is the same amount offered to PSG for Kylian Mbappe in the summer of 2023, with the bid accepted by the club but the proposed transfer to Al Hilal then rejected by the player.

Madrid are expected to direct any suitor to Vinicius Junior’s €1bn (£838m) release clause. The exception to that is if he asks to leave the club, which the Saudi Pro League would be banking on when they present their incomprehensible contract offer to the Brazilian.

He noted that public opinions about Real Madrid have dramatically shifted in recent months. What was once considered a poor season under Carlo Ancelotti has now turned into praise for the manager’s brilliance.

Madrid would however receive $312 million (€300 million) in the initial transfer, which is well capable of smashing the current world transfer record set when Paris Saint-Germain triggered Neymar’s $231 million (€222 million) FC Barcelona release clause in 2017.

It wants to extend Vini’s contract which expires in 2027, and offer him a better salary than the figure he currently takes home believed to be something close to $20.8 million (€20 million) a season.

Asked what Vinicius meant with his post, his management staff told Reuters that he was referring to his fight against racism and that they believe it was what led to him not winning the award, saying that “the world is not ready to accept a player who fights against the system.”

“FOOTBALL POLITICS X. My brother, you are the best player in the world and no award can say otherwise. Love you my bro,” Real’s Eduardo Camavinga posted on X, while several other teammates shared messages with photos of Vinicius saying “You are the best”.

Referee Cesar Soto Grado reviewed the incident and ultimately decided to give Dimitrievski a yellow card and . The Real Madrid winger had to be held back from the official and taken down the tunnel in the 79th minute.

Indeed, their last four top-flight games include a 0-0 draw at home to Everton, a loss against rivals Fulham at Stamford Bridge before another defeat, this time on the road against Ipswich Town. Their 2025 began with a 1-1 draw away to Crystal Palace.

Looking back on it, letting the 21-year-old leave West London certainly seems like a mistake given the player he has turned into. Musiala has become one of the biggest stars in world football and is thriving once again under Vincent Kompany at Bayern this season.

Real Madrid would expect to receive Vinícius’ buyout clause, which stands at €1 billion. The forward’s contract at the Bernabéu runs until June 2027. The source, close to the player, told ESPN that Real Madrid would need to accept a transfer fee below the value of the release clause for the deal to go through.

Vinicius Jr has been in fantastic form for Real Madrid this season, carrying on from where he left off at the end of the 2023-24 season. His form with Brazil, though, hasn’t been spectacular. After a disappointing Copa America 2024 campaign, Vinicius once again failed to show his mettle in Brazil’s previous game against Venezuela. The match ended in a 1-1 draw as Vinicius missed a penalty.

“We put Vini on the side , we were unsuccessful. We placed him inside, we couldn’t find a path either, he was very well marked. We were presenting a very good volume of play. We had to change parts. We tried several alternatives, several situations were created, and we ended up being not successful in the finals,” said Dorival to reporters after the game.

The video was posted by ESPN Brazil and, speaking to the publication after the match, the woman who recorded the incident said that police were called during the match. Previously, La Liga has reported incidents of alleged racism to the local authorities.

Brazil’s Vini joined Los Blancos in July 2018, while English football star Jude Bellingham signed in June 2023. Both are accomplished players who have won in domestic, regional, and international competitions. His Galácticos counterpart, Bellingham, emerged on the international football scene as one of the best youngsters in football. At 16 years and 38 days, the Stourbridge Juniors graduate made his Premier League debut playing for Birmingham.

Former midfielder Clarence Seedorf, who played for the likes of AC Milan and Real Madrid during a brilliant career, said he was surprised Vinícius didn’t win the award and alluded to possible tension between the Spanish giant and the European governing body.

Also on Monday, Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was named the men’s Coach of the Year, while forward Kylian Mbappé was celebrated for being last year’s joint top scorer, along with Harry Kane. Neither Mbappé nor Ancelotti attended the ceremony.

Vinicius has been unflatteringly compared to Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. The first two are understandable and it’s likely we’ll never see such domination of the world game by two players again in our lifetimes.

With critics of the increasingly robotic nature of elite-level football growing by the month, Vinicus’ dirty dragback took us back to a less rigid era when talented players could express their creativity without fear of a b*llocking from xG-obsessed coaches

He further insisted that he will stay at Madrid forever, “Ancelotti told me to keep it up, that I can always do more. I’m still only 24, I want to stay here forever and contribute as much as possible to this team, which has given me everything since I arrived here.”

It was that kind of start that required patience, with Madrid seemingly studying their opponent, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Patient it was, but this tactic proved effective in the second half. Even though the first half didn’t offer that many clear goal opportunities, it was evident Real was building up momentum in order to take control later in the game.

That was the turning point of the match. From there on, Real Madrid gained confidence and took total control of the match and pressed Real Sociedad to retreat. The pressure paid off. In the 74th minute, another penalty was given this time against Aramburu for his foul on Vini Jr. Mbappé took it, deceiving goalkeeper Remiro with expertise and sealed the 2-0 scoreline.

Vinicius Junior delivered another masterclass for Real Madrid, guiding Los Blancos to a commanding victory over Pachuca in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final. The Brazilian winger, who has become synonymous with high-stakes brilliance, was instrumental in the 3-0 triumph over the Mexican giants in Doha, Qatar.

If Vinicius Jr invited you round to his pad for a couple of drinks and a few rounds of Madden 25, you’d probably make room in your diary. Save for a really good excuse like a doctor’s appointment or a new episode of Only Murders in the Building, I certainly wouldn’t say no to having the chance at seeing what hand wash he uses in the downstairs bathroom.

But for three Real Madrid players, the invite wasn’t enough. Endrick, Arda Güler and Vallejo weren’t available for an evening at the Brazilian’s gaff, and had to decline. Fear not, dear reader, there is nothing wrong, and they all spoke to the player to explain their absence. Endrick and Arda probably just had homework and weren’t allowed to go to bed after 10pm.

 Carlo Ancelotti believes Vinicius Junior will be “choosing glory” by staying at Real Madrid rather than making a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia The Brazilian star has been linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League for some time, and it was reported earlier this month that clubs in the Middle East were still keep­ing tabs on him ahead of a possible swoop.

The Brazilian winger has not been available in 8 important games (Liverpool, Getafe, Athletic Club, Girona, Sevilla, Las Palmas, Valladolid) this campaign across the league and Champions League, with various reasons behind the absences.

Over recent games, Real Madrid have shone without their Brazilian star in the side. He has also been suspended in LaLiga due to a red card he received against Valencia and since then, it must be said, Real Madrid have been in furious form, with Kylian Mbappé in particular thriving in a role off the left side.

It remains to be seen what happens long term with the Brazilian at the club, as Saudi Arabian rumours are incessant at this time, although it is generally thought that the player could stay at the Spanish club into next season given his positive relationship with both the rest of the squad, the fans, and the hierarchy in the Spanish capital.