Vinicius Wants To Stay Forever At Real Madrid
JAKARTA - Vinicius Junior has made a statement that he wants to stay at Real Madrid forever amid reports linking him to a move to the Saudi Arabian Pro League.
The Brazilian forward, who is favorite to award the Ballon d'Or on October 28, 2024, has attracted interest from Saudi Arabian clubs.
Sources told ESPN in August 2024 that Vinicius would wait until the end of this season before deciding whether to move from Madrid or not.
However, after scoring a hat trick in the second half in Real Madrid's win over Borussia Dortmund 5-2 in the Champions League on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, he made clear his desire to stay at the club whenever possible.
"I'm only 24 years old. I want to stay here forever and contribute as much as possible to this team, which has given everything to me since I arrived here," Vinicius said as reported by ESPN.
Hattrick against Dortmund was Vinicius' first in the Champions League. However, the attacker was reluctant to have a head.
Baca juga:
"(Coach Real Madrid Carlo) Ancelotti told me to keep going, that I can always do more."
"However, we have to improve our skills and play like this from the start. Otherwise, the coach will not be able to do it. This is our tournament. We want to win it again," Vinicius said again.
Vinicius scored 24 goals and provided 11 assists in all last season to help Los Blancos win La Liga.
The collection included his team's second goal when they won the 2023/2024 Champions League final against Dortmund in June 2024.
Lucas Vazquez, who captained Real Madrid against Dortmund, also praised Vinicius for his latest performance.
"Vinicius Junior performed outstanding in the second half. It was a game to show the kids they understand how football should be played, with intensity and hunger to score goals."
"He again showed that he was the most decisive player in the world, he played amazingly in the second half," Vazquez said.
Praise does not stop there. Real Madrid director, Emilio Butragueno, did not escape praising Vinicius and comparing him to Brazilian legend Pele.
Butragaueno's praise could not be separated from Vinicius' third goal which reminded him of the figure of Pele.
"The goal reminds me of Pele. A great goal. The way he runs, the way he pretends to dribble past his opponent's defender."
"A great goal. For those of us who love football, it justifies your arrival to Bernabeu. That a player can display a game that evokes a lot of emotion, including admiration," said Butragueno.
Meanwhile, Vinicius is looking forward to El Clasico's match against Barcelona on Sunday, October 27, 2024.
Madrid are three points behind leaders Barcelona and the meeting was a moment to take the throne.
"We will go all out. It's at home with our fans. We will fight for everything this season, as usual," said Vinicius.