Vinícius Júnior Childhood Story (See how it all started)

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Vinicius Junior is a talented Brazilian football player, born on July 12, 2000. He began his career at Flamengo, one of the most popular clubs in Brazil, where he rose to prominence at youth level. His exceptional ability quickly caught the attention of international scouts, and in 2018, at just 17 years old, he was transferred to Real Madrid, one of the biggest football clubs in the world, in a much talked about transfer involving a significant sum of money.
Vinicius Jr. is known for his impressive speed, dribbling ability and ability to unbalance opposing defenses. He is a very talented and promising player, and many experts believe that he has the potential to become one of the best players in the world in his position.
At Real Madrid, Vinicius had ups and downs, as is common for young players at high-level clubs. He showed flashes of brilliance on the field, but also faced criticism for his decision-making and effectiveness in some matches. However, it is important to remember that he is still young and has plenty of time to develop his game and reach his full potential.

A star is born

Born in São Gonçalo, Rio de Janeiro, on July 12, 2000, Vinícius José Paixão de Oliveira Júnior, better known as Vini Júnior, started playing as a child. Vinícius Júnior’s football career began in 2006, when his father took him to one of Flamengo’s branch schools, in the Mutuá neighborhood, in São Gonçalo, where he lived. His first technical sheet, however, had a curious detail: he was registered as a left-back.

Flamengo (base)

Vinícius was federated by Flamengo at the age of 10, and since then he has been treated with the status of “future star”, being the main highlight of the base since the U-13 team.
According to Eduardo Júnior, responsible for the approval of Vinícius Júnior in Flamengo’s selection, the boy “resembled the former midfielder Adílio, physically and also in his ability to dribble”. That’s why, in the first championship played by Vinicius for Flamengo (the 2010 Rio Bonito Cup) he won the number 8 shirt, a kind of tribute to Adílio.
At the age of 13, he was called up for the U-15 team for the first time, with coach Cláudio Caçapa. Even a year later, he was already a starter and main player for Flamengo’s children. He was the protagonist of the so-called “Geração 2000 Rubro-Negra”, which came to be more than 90 games undefeated between the junior and infantile. In 2015, he became champion of the Votorantim Cup, a tournament equivalent to the national championship of the category

Flamengo (Main Team)

Exactly five years ago, at the age of 17, Vinícius Jr entered the field at 37 of the second half of a game against Atlético-MG , in Maracanã, with more than 50,000 people to see the birth of a star, already with a sale underway . to Real Madrid, for 45 million euros .
The first moments with the red-black shirt were oscillation and adaptation, in 37 games in 2017, only five as a starter, with one assist and four goals. The following year, he got the title at the beginning of the season, mainly after outstanding performances, such as the two goals against Emelec , in Ecuador, in a Libertadores game.
With ten goals and four assists, 2018 was a year of affirmation. The player said goodbye to the Red-Black team in June, before the stop for the World Cup in Russia, with the team leading the Brazilian Championship.

Trajectory at Real Madrid

2018–21

On July 20, 2018, he was officially presented as a Real Madrid player. He was given the team number 28. He made his debut on 29 September, coming on as an 87th-minute substitute in a goalless draw against Atlético Madrid . Vinícius made his debut as a starter on October 31, in the 4-0 away victory in the Copa del Rey against Melilla , contributing assists to Marco Asensio and Álvaro Odriozola, in what Marca recognized as the best performance on the field. He scored his first goal on 3 November, 10 minutes after coming on as a substitute in a 2–0 victory over Real Valladolid . He scored four goals between his debut on 29 September and 7 February 2019. On 6 March, he tore a ligament during a defeat to Ajax , which ended his season.

On 11 December 2019, he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in a 3–1 away win over Club Brugge of the 2019–20 season . On 1 March 2020, he scored the first goal in Real’s 2–0 El Clásico victory against Barcelona . He made 29 appearances during the league season, scoring three goals, as Real Madrid won the 2019–20 La Liga .

On 6 April 2021, Vinícius scored two goals in a 3–1 victory against Liverpool in the first leg of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals . Real Madrid would advance to the semi-finals, where they lost to eventual champions Chelsea 

2021–22

Vinícius started the 2021–22 season by scoring Real Madrid’s fourth goal in a 4–1 away victory over Alavés on the first day of the La Liga campaign . On 22 August, he scored two goals in a 3–3 draw against Levante from the bench, earning him a place in the first team ahead of Eden Hazard . On 30 October, he scored twice as Real Madrid won 2–1 at Elche to go top of the La Liga table. The goals were his sixth and seventh of the league season and eighth and ninth overall, surpassing his total output of six goals in all competitions during the 2020-21 season from just 14 matches. On 12 May 2021, he scored his first hat-trick for Real Madrid in a 6–0 victory over Levante.

On 28 May, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Liverpool in the Champions League Final , earning Real Madrid their record 14th UEFA Champions League title . Vinícius finished the 2021–22 season as Real Madrid’s second top scorer , with 22 goals in all competitions, behind only his strike partner Karim Benzema . For his performances, Vinícius was named the Champions League Young Player of the Season and included in the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League Team of the Season.

2022–23

On 11 February, Real Madrid defeated Al-Hilal 5–3 in the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup final , when Vinícius scored two goals to win the tournament’s best player award and his second World Cup title. of the Club World. On 21 February 2023, Vinícius scored two first-half goals to power Real Madrid’s 5–2 comeback win at Anfield against Liverpool in the first leg of their Champions League knockout stage round of 16 tie .

On 9 May 2023, Vinícius made a significant contribution to Real Madrid’s performance in the first leg of their semi-final against Manchester City , scoring a remarkable long-range goal in the 36th minute. Alongside teammates Rodrygo and Karim Benzema, he created numerous opportunities, showcasing Real Madrid’s counter-attacking ability against Manchester City’s dominant possession. The match ended in a 1–1 draw. However, in the second leg of the semi-final, Real Madrid suffered a crushing 4-0 defeat against City, thus ending their Champions League title campaign. He was selected in the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League Team of the Tournament .

Following Hazard’s departure, Real Madrid confirmed that Vinícius, who previously wore the number 20 shirt, would wear the club’s iconic number 7 shirt, worn by Cristiano Ronaldo and Raúl , from the 2023–24 season onwards.

2023–24

On 19 August 2023, Vinícius scored the decisive goal in the La Liga match against Almería , contributing to Real Madrid’s victory alongside teammate Jude Bellingham , scorer of the previous two goals. On 25 August 2023, Vinícius suffered an injury to his right biceps femoris muscle during a league match against Celta , a game which Real Madrid won 1–0. On 27 September 2023, Vinícius returned to play in a league game against Las Palmas after recovering from injury. On 3 October, he scored his first Champions League goal of the season , scoring a 1–1 equalizer in Real Madrid’s away game against Napoli , who finished with a 3-2 victory.

Real Madrid announced on 31 October 2023 that they had extended Vinícius’ contract until 30 June 2027. On 14 January 2024, he scored a hat-trick in a 4–1 victory over Barcelona in the Supercopa de España final . . On 30 April, he scored two goals in a 2–2 away draw against Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals; with that, he managed to score in that round for the third consecutive season, in addition to reaching at least 20 goals in all competitions for the third consecutive season.

On 1 June 2024, he scored in Real Madrid’s 2–0 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the 2024 UEFA Champions League Final , winning his second trophy in the competition. At 23 years and 325 days, Vinícius became the youngest player to score in two Champions League finals, beating Lionel Messi ‘s record by thirteen days

Awards received

The player’s success earned him several awards, and it is no wonder that he was elected by the UEFA Technical Observers as the “Best Young Player of the Champions League” in 2022. Among the athlete’s awards are:
  • La Liga: 2019–20, 2021–22, 2023-24
  • Copa del Rey: 2022–23
  • Supercopa de España: 2019–20, 2021–22, 2023–24
  • UEFA Champions League: 2021–22, 2023-24
  • UEFA Super Cup: 2022
  • FIFA Club World Cup: 2018, 2022

Games

In May 2024, Vini Júnior completed 7 years of his career. During this period, he played in the youth teams of the Brazilian National Team as Under-17 and Under-20, participated in seven matches for the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers and played in the 2020 Copa América in Brazil. In addition, he was in three matches in friendlies against Peru, South Korea and Japan.
At Real Madrid, so far, he has played 189 games, including Champions League, La Liga, Spanish Super Cup, UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup, Audi Cup, International Champions Cup and Champions League, championship in which the player scored the goal that gave the 14th title of the competition to the European club.

Vinícius Júnior Parents: Meet Fernanda Oliveira and Vinicius José Paixão de Oliveira

Son of Fernanda Oliveira, and Vinicius José Paixão de Oliveira (from whom he inherited the name) coming from a humble family, Vinícius Júnior went to live in Abolição with his uncle, Ulisses, to reduce the distance to Ninho do Urubu. He started to receive an allowance from Flamengo and aid from businessmen.

How many brothers does Vinicius Jr have?

 Vinícius Jr. siblings
He has three siblings: Lucas, Sophia and Erika. Lucas and Sophia are Vinicius Jr ‘s older brothers , while Erika is his younger sister.
Since they were children, Vinicius Jr. and his brothers have always played football together. The friendly competition between them was a constant source of inspiration and motivation for Vinicius Jr, as each of them strived to be the best.
Over the years, his brothers have had a constant influence on his athletic career . They shared tips, trained together, and encouraged each other through every challenge. Vinicius Jr.’s relationship with his brothers is solid and has allowed them to grow together, both personally and sportingly.
The friendly competition and mutual support between Vinicius Jr. and his brothers has been a constant source of inspiration in his sporting career. His brothers have been the driving force that has motivated him to overcome obstacles and achieve new goals.