Vinicius Junior is Real Madrid through and through, and his display against Liverpool proved it.
Each kiss of the badge after scoring is not a front. He experiences every goal, every great night, every bit of criticism and every disappointment in a very special and profound way, and the game against the Reds is one he will never forget.
Vinicius has experienced everything at Real Madrid. At the age of 18, they hurled him a backpack worth 50 million euros and tasked him with the responsibility of lifting Los Blancos in the post Cristiano Ronaldo-era.
His lack of goals played against him from day one. Some even whispered to him that he should leave Los Blancos due to a lack of opportunities, but Vinicius never considered it.
The Brazilian was superb against Liverpool, scoring twice. In the first half, he turned a 50-yard Toni Kroos pass into a work of art, with perfect control and then the finish. Where he had almost failed, he nailed it. A great goal and a kiss of the badge.
In the second half he found the net again after a pass from Karim Benzema, which in October sapped his morale. Even from that Vinicius got up, despite having to listen to Jorge Valdano say that Real Madrid should swap Kylian Mbappe for the Brazilian.
“I’m here, I’m here” he said after making it 3-1, indicating where he wants his future to lie.
Then he hugged Zinedine Zidane, who in the end has ended up putting faith in the Brazilian, who fails a lot, yes, but who always preserveres.
