This Friday (12), forward Vinicius Junior celebrates 24 years of a short but full of victories and achievements both on and off the field. Despite his young age, the forward born in São Gonçalo has conquered the world and has already become an idol at Real Madrid, Spain, and a reference for the Brazilian National Team.
Vini, as he is affectionately known by the fans, was revealed by Flamengo in 2017. Even in the youth categories, he caught the interest of major clubs around the world and his transfer to the Merengues was being negotiated before his debut for the Carioca Rubro-Negro. During his time at Gávea, he played 70 games and scored 14 goals, with the Taça Guanabara title in 2018.
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As soon as he celebrated his 18th birthday, the young man arrived at Real Madrid. He did not stand out at first and even played some matches for Real Madrid Castilla, the club’s B team. He began to consolidate himself as one of the main players of Real in the 2020/21 season, but became a pillar of the team in 2021/22. The number 20 shirt was instrumental in the 14th Champions League title and scored the goal in the final against Liverpool, England.
In the last season, Vini, who took on the number 7 shirt, previously worn by legends like Raúl and Cristiano Ronaldo, was once again decisive in the conquest of the Champions League. In the final against Borussia Dortmund, Germany, he scored the second goal in the 2-0 victory. In addition to the trophies of the continental competition, he is a multi-champion of the Club World Cup, the Spanish Championship, the Spanish Super Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the Copa del Rey.
His first call-up to the Brazilian National Team was in 2019 and he scored for the Seleção in 2022, against Chile, at the Maracanã, in the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Before competing in the Qatar World Cup, Vini had already been called up for the 2021 Copa América in Brazil, and this year he was present at the 2024 Copa América. In total, Vini has 33 games and five goals.
While shining on the pitch, Vinicius Junior fights racism in his life. Constantly attacked for being who he is, he prefers to recognize himself as “the scourge of racists” and not a victim of them, overcoming the obstacles with his joy in football and his fight for equality. He has the Vini Jr Institute, which combines education, technology and football in support of Brazilian public schools to reduce social inequalities.
For his work at the Institute, he won the Sócrates award at the 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony. The award is given by the magazine France Football to football players involved in solidarity actions and social projects.
