Who needs Mbappe? Real Madrid already have a future Ballon d’Or winner in Vinicius Jr

Suraj Radia

28 May 2022 23:08 BST
3 min read

Vinicius Junior celebrates scoring the winning goal in the 2022 Champions League final — © ProShots

Vinicius Junior's Champions League final heroics showed why Real Madrid won't miss Kylian Mbappe and why he could surge past the Frenchman on his way to the top.

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The 21-year-old netted the winner to lead Madrid to victory against Liverpool and reminded the Spanish side of the treasures they already have instead of breaking the bank for Mbappe.

Vinicius had a breakout season for Real, scoring 17 times in the league and getting 10 assists as they added La Liga success to their record 14th Champions League title.

With the forward also set to play a big part for Brazil in the upcoming World Cup, more success in the second half of the year could see Vinicius pip Mbappe in the voting for this year's Ballon d'Or.

Who needs Kylian when you have Mbappe at home?

Madrid's failure to sign Mbappe could be a blessing in disguise for the development of Vinicius due to both players preferring to play in a left wing role.

Real are also reportedly opting against bringing in another forward and could instead use part of the 'Mbappe fund' to give Vinicius a bumper extension, with his current deal due to expire in 2024.

And with Madrid continuing to dominate European football, Vinicius will consider himself in the best place to develop and showcase his ability at the highest level.

The Brazilian, incredibly, is only in his first season as a true starter for Real, having largely come off the bench in his previous three seasons at the club.

The meteoric rise to superstardom would give Madrid huge confidence that they have the best young talent in the world, with Vini still showcasing plenty of potential.

10 - Vinícius Júnior (4 goals, 6 assists) is the first South American player to be directly involved in 10+ goals in a single UEFA Champions League campaign while aged 21 or under since Lionel Messi in 2008-09 (14 – 9 goals, 5 assists). Talent. #UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/3xEzXmes4h
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 28, 2022

Mbappe, meanwhile, eased his way to 28 goals and 17 assists in Ligue 1 this season and it would require a record-breaking effort to eclipse that tally and take his game to a new level.

PSG's repeated failures in Europe will also count against him, particularly if Real continue their Champions League dominance with Vinicus at the heart of their side.

However, with Mbappe already a World Cup winner with France, the Brazil ace may have to prove his talent on a global scale in Qatar in December.

But having already lifted a Champions League in Paris, Vinicius has fired a warning shot to the footballing world that there might be a new superstar in town.