The Champions League final (2 a.m., June 2) between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund will be the second final in Vinicius’ career and the Brazilian striker is ready to shine again. The goal he scored against Liverpool brought the 14th European Cup in the club’s history, but “Vini”‘s ambition still does not stop as he and his teammates want the 15th title.

 

Vinicius is about to have his second Champions League final in his career

The context of this final is different from 2022, when Karim Benzema was still Real Madrid’s number-one striker and Vinicius had just had a breakthrough in his career as a left striker. Now his role at “Los Blancos” is different, but Vinicius recently revealed to Globo newspaper in Brazil that he may even continue to change himself in the future.

“This will be a very important week and I hope we win again; that’s what we’re always thinking about. I hope I score, but just winning is enough. We need to start the match better and overwhelm our opponents, but we can’t be subjective about their abilities,” Vinicius commented.

“At this point, I have changed quite a lot compared to the final two years ago. The coach has given me a bigger and bigger role and I feel more honored and responsible for what I do on the field. The seniors are also a great source of inspiration; not everyone gets to wear this shirt and play with legends.”

 

Vinicius revealed he was surprised when coach Ancelotti asked him to move to the middle

Vinicius said that although coach Carlo Ancelotti helped him a lot, this season he disobeyed the Italian coach’s orders for the first time. That was when Real Madrid clashed with Manchester City in the quarterfinals and Ancelotti made a big decision: he wanted Vinicius to take Benzema’s old position.

“Carlo’s request surprised me. I’ve never played that position before and don’t want to play like that. The coach said he could give me a trial match in that position in La Liga, but my mentality at that time was to resist change. Instead of keeping the middle position, I still follow the habit of drifting left,” Vinicius revealed.

“After that match, the coach pulled me to a corner, I was waiting for him to say the harsh words I deserved. Instead, the coach said tomorrow I would teach you how to play in the middle, and indeed, I learned even though I didn’t have much practice time. Man City also seemed surprised, because I was in the middle while Rodrygo was on the left. I had 2 assists and helped the team get good results.”

Vinicius surrounded Man City defenders in the quarterfinals of the Champions League

Vinicius learning how to play as a striker is having a good effect on his own career and coach Ancelotti’s work because next season Kylian Mbappe will join and Mbappe is good at playing left, Vinicius’s familiar position. The Brazilian striker said adapting to a new position helps him not have to worry if Real Madrid has a new person in attack.

“I think in a short time I have improved and changed myself better than last season. The coach knew how to help me get used to my new position and said I could play for Real Madrid because I was never afraid of losing the ball. I always remember that, and changing myself helps me feel less worried when the group goes through upheaval,” Vinicius shared.

Vinicius Junior is one of the highlights of Real Madrid this season. The Brazilian striker had a convincing performance on Los Blancos’ journey to winning La Liga and reaching the Champions League final.

Many experts consider Vinicius to be one of the best wingers in the world today. Besides being a winger, Vinicius often plays as a striker for Los Blancos.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti has made a great contribution to helping his student unleash his full talent. Goal newspaper quoted Vinicius’ statement:

Vinicius and Ancelotti.

” At first, I didn’t want to change my playing position. Ancelotti convinced me. Ancelotti taught me how to play more in a central role. Within a year, I had improved a lot compared to before. “.

In total, after 22 starts in La Liga, Vinicius scored 15 goals and had 5 more assists. In the Champions League, Vinicius contributed 9 goals after 9 matches.

Vinicius will prepare with his teammates for the most important battle of the season. This weekend, Real Madrid faces Borussia Dortmund at Wembley.