Vinicius Jr is making Madrid forget all about Mbappe or Haaland

Stefan Bienkowski

• 30 Oct 2021 16:28 BST
• 3 min read

Real Madrid have, for some time now, seemed like a club waiting for this season to hurry up and finish.

With a number of star players like Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane leaving in the summer and the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Paul Pogba and Erling Haaland linked with moves to the club next summer, this 12-month period in between has felt like little more than a transition.

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Of course, Carlo Ancelotti and his side are still under pressure to challenge for domestic titles and not make a fool of themselves in Europe, but everyone at the Spanish club seems convinced that better days are on the horizon.

Yet while the club bunkers down and waits for salvation, one player has got to work on improving his game and as such is making a name for himself in Spain. His name is Vinicius Junior and he’s possibly been Madrid’s best player this season.

Vinicius Jr is enjoying a remarkable season

On Saturday afternoon Madrid went top of the Spanish top-flight table with a 2-1 win over Elche, in which Vinicius Jr bagged both goals and a vital role in his team claiming all three points.

The player’s brace put his goal tally for the season at an impressive nine goals in 14 games. A feat that is made all the more remarkable when you consider that he’s also bagged a further five assists in that time too.

Indeed, the Brazilian forward is currently averaging no less than 1.15 goals or assists per 90 for the Spanish giants.

Last season that number stood at just 0.42 goals or assists per 90, which does a good job of indicating just how well Vinicius Jr has improved under Ancelotti this season.

Madrid may still have grand plans to sign Pogba, Haaland and Mbappe but by the time this season draws to a close they may have to alter their plans slightly to accommodate Vinicius Jr.

Not only is the young Brazilian finally beginning to live up to the hype, but he’s also quickly establishing himself as one of Madrid’s most important players.