Vinicius Junior was born on the 12th of July 2000, and he is commonly known as Vini Jr., he is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a winger for the Spanish club Real Madrid and the Brazil national team. As a matter of fact, he is a skillful, fast, and strong player, he is often regarded as one of the best wingers in world football. Vinícius José Paixão de Oliveira Júnior
Vinícius José Paixão de Oliveira Júnior was born in São Gonçalo, Vinícius began his professional career at Flamengo, where he made his senior debut in 2017, at age 16. Few days later, Vinícius was the subject of a transfer to La Liga club Real Madrid, for whom he signed for in a £38 million deal, which was a national record for an U-18 player. Report from ESPN has it that Vini Jnr’s transfer was made effective after his 18th birthday, with Vinícius debuting for the club in 2018–19. By his fourth season, Vinícius established himself as a prominent member in Real Madrid’s squad, helping the club win the 2021–22 La Liga title and scoring the winning goal in Real Madrid’s 2022 UEFA Champions League Final win.
Club career
Early career
Numerous report carries it that Vinícius Junior’s football career began in the year 2006, when his father took him to the branch offices of Flamengo, in the neighborhood of Mutuá, in São Gonçalo where he lived. His club document described him as a left-back.
The young talent is one of the players that hail from a poor family, he went to live in Abolição with his uncle, Ulisses, to shorten the distance to Ninho do Urubu (the “Vultures’ Nest”). The young star started to receive financial aid from Flamengo as well as aid from entrepreneurs.
He attended futsal classes at Flamengo’s school in São Gonçalo at the Canto do Rio between 2007 and 2010, a famous club located in the centre of Niterói.
Flamengo
Vinícius Junior made his match debut for Flamengo on 13 May 2017 as an 82nd-minute substitute in a Brazilian Série A 1–1 draw against Atlético Mineiro. And just two days, he extended his contract with the club from 2019 until 2022, with a significant salary increase and a buyout clause increase from €30 million to €45 million. Footballreport have it that this contract renewal was reported as being part of the transfer process of Vinícius to Real Madrid, an agreement reached between the two clubs in Gávea that week with an obligation to sell the young player in July 2018.
The young star scored the first professional goal of his career in a Copa Sudamericana second round leg 2 match against Palestino in a 5–0 win for Flamengo on the 10th of August 2017. Vini Jnr scored one goal, 30 seconds after being substituted on in the 72nd minute. Then on the 19th of August, he scored his first Brazilian Série A goals for Flamengo, in a 2–0 win against Atlético Goianiense.
Real Madrid
La liga outlet Real Madrid signed a contract to acquire Vinícius on the 23rd of May 2017, effective after his 18th birthday on 12 July 2018 (as age 18 is the minimum age for international transfer). As at then, his transferred for a reported fee of €46 million, which was at the time, the second most expensive sale of a player in the history of Brazilian football (behind only Neymar), the largest amount received by a Brazilian club for a transfer, and the highest amount ever paid by a club for a footballer under the age of 19. However, Vini Jrn was originally scheduled to return to Brazil on loan in July 2018.
After Vini was officially presented as a Real Madrid player, the young star was issued squad number 28 on the 20th of July 2018. Statistics however has it that he made his debut on 29 September, coming in as an 87th minute substitute in a goalless draw against Atlético Madrid. When he made his first start on the 31st of October in a 4–0 Copa del Rey away victory against Melilla, he contributed assists for both Marco Asensio and Álvaro Odriozola in what Marca recognized as a Man of the Match performance.
On 11 December 2019, he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in a 3–1 away win over Club Brugge in the 2019–20 season. On 1 March 2020, he scored the first goal in a 2–0 win for Real in El Clásico against Barcelona.
The young talent actuall established his name when started the 2021–22 season by scoring Real Madrid’s fourth goal in a 4–1 away victory over Alavés on the opening day of the La Liga campaign. Vini Jnr scored a brace in a 3–3 draw against Levante coming off the bench on the 22nd of August, which earned him a first-team place, ahead of Eden Hazard. Again, on the 30th of October, he scored twice as Real Madrid won 2–1 at Elche to go top of the La Liga table. Those goals marked his sixth and seventh of the league season and his eighth and ninth overall, surpassing his total output of six goals in all competitions during the 2020–21 season in just 14 matches. Vinícius José Paixão de Oliveira Júnior scored his first hat-trick for Real Madrid in a 6–0 victory over Levante on the 12 of May 2022. And on the 28 of the samr month, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 win over Liverpool in the Champions League final to clinch Madrid their record 14th UEFA Champions League title. The young talent ended the 2021–22 season as Real Madrid’s second-best goalscorer with 22 goals in all competitions, only behind his attacking partner Karim Benzema.
International career
Vinícius Júnior was called up for Brazil by coach Guilherme Dalla Déa for the South American U-15 Championship on the 30th of October 2015. There in the competition, Vinícius and Brazil won the U-15 title and he was the 2nd top-scorer of the tournament with seven goals. A a matter of fact, was named player of the tournament and continued to perform which helped him convince Flamengo to sign him by the age of 16. The on the 24th of June 2016, Vinícius was called up for a friendly against Chile U-17 and scored two goals and provided two assists in the 4–2 victory.
The Real Madrid playmaker, Vinícius Junior was called up to the Brazil national team for the first time for friendlies against Panama and the Czech Republic on the 28th of February 2019. Nevertheless, Jnr suffered an injury while playing for Real Madrid, and David Neres was called up in his place in March.
Vinicius Junior Salary
Vinícius José Paixão de Oliveira Júnior is only second behind Sancho in terms of his weekly wages right now. The Brazilian teenager makes €215,000 or £190,000 per week at Real Madrid.
Vinicius Junior’s Net Worth
According to the Forbes update, Vinicius Jr’s net worth in 2022 is estimated in the region of €21 million. It could be higher based on just how popular he is in world football right now. The winger has a lot of hype surrounding him and is predicted to be as big as Neymar, if not bigger in the future.
Vinicius Junior’s Sponsorships & Endorsements
It has been made clear that outside the football pitch, Vinicius advertises for a classic watch brand from Milan, Gaga Milano. He is not the only one who is sponsored by this famous Italian brand. Neymar also endorsed Gaga as their brand ambassador and this has caused the company’s yearly sales to double.