- 19 hours ago
Real Madrid take Vinicius Junior action after Ballon d’Or blow
Robin Bairner
- 31 Oct 2024 06:00 CDT
- 3 min read
Real Madrid want to renew the contract of Vinicius Junior, days after the prolific winger controversially missed out on the Ballon d’Or.
Vini Jr sparked controversy on Monday when it emerged that neither he nor his Real Madrid colleagues would travel to the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris when it emerged that Manchester City star Rodri would claim the prize.
Coming hours after Los Blancos had been beaten 4-0 in El Clasico by Barcelona, it marked the continuation of a rare frustrating period for a player who has spent much of the last year at the peak of his game.
Indeed, if Vinicius Jr missed out on the Ballon d’Or, it was largely because of his relatively disappointing efforts with Brazil.
STATS
Vinícius Júnior
F (CL), AM (L)
Real Madrid
Vinícius Júnior
F (CL), AM (L)
Real Madrid
At Real Madrid, he has been electric, scoring eight goals and setting up seven more in 15 appearances this season. Indeed, he will be rewarded for this form with a bumper new contract, according to Revelo.
This has been a plan long in the making, however. Contacts have been taking place between the Real Madrid hierarchy and the star player for months.
In addition to his starring role for the club, the board knew that the player would not want to be “relegated into the background” following the summer signing of Kylian Mbappe from PSG. Instead, they want to treat him as a team leader and, indeed, as a Ballon d’Or winner, which is what the club clearly feel he deserves to be.
€1bn Saudi offer still on the table
The situation at the moment is a quiet one.
Vini Jr is not in a hurry to open negotiations over a new contract but simply wants to “wait for the best possible moment” to pen talks.
This should be of little immediate concern to Real Madrid. The Brazil star, who has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €129.4 million, has a contract that runs until 2027.
The spectre of a huge bid from the Saudi Pro League remains, however. With the news that Saudi are planning on cutting spending abroad to focus on their domestic investment, there are reports they are willing to pay Vinicius Junior €1 billion a year over five seasons – an unfathomable spend that Madrid surely could not match.
Revelo says they are willing to offer him this in 2025.
Vinicius Junior, though, has in the past pledged his loyalty to Real Madrid, stating: “I want to be here forever and do many things for this club that has given me everything.”
