The main dual role on the way to winning La Liga and the Champions League last season is proof that 21-year-old striker Vicinius Junior has matured, playing a pivotal role in Real Madrid’s conquering ambitions.
Compared to Barca’s aggressive summer of transfers, Real have been unusually quiet.
After Kylian Mbappe’s “turnaround” at the beginning of the summer, the Spanish royal team only bought midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, took centre-back Antonio Rudiger for free and made no other moves on the transfer floor.
But that is not why Real are taken lightly when starting the journey to defend the title in La Liga and the Champions League from today.
Besides Karim Benzema – the number one candidate for the Ballon d’Or 2022, the strength and prestige of the champion at Real also comes from the fact that they own Vinicius Junior – the most talented young attacking star in the world.
Vinicius has been criticized for his individual play, blunt finishing and being turned away by benzema himself on the attack.
But the young Brazilian striker has improved constantly to become the main duo, with Real making one of the best seasons in the club’s history in the 2021-2022 season.