Vinicius Junior has confirmed his intentions to stay with Real Madrid, declaring: “I will continue with the biggest team in the world.”
The winger initially struggled to make his mark after arriving from Flamengo in 2018 for a reported €46million fee.
However, Vinicius enjoyed a breakthrough season in the 2021-22 term, scoring 22 goals in 52 games in all competitions, seven more than in 118 games for Los Blancos in his previous three campaigns (15).
The Brazil international also recorded the most goal involvements by LaLiga players born in 2000 or after across all competitions (38 – 22 goals and 16 assists).
Vinicius scored the winning goal in the Champions League final against Liverpool, but there were some suggestions he could be tempted by a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
He has quelled those Madrid fears by announcing his desire to stay in the Spanish capital, with the expectation that he will sign a new contract until June 2027.
“I will continue in the biggest team in the world,” the Madrid star said on ‘Bem, Amigos!’ of SporTV.
“It’s the most united team since I arrived. The celebrations were different this year. We all felt something special.
“Younger people arrived with Rodrygo, [Eder] Militao, [Eduardo] Camavinga and me. Everyone likes each other and that’s important.
“It’s the best atmosphere in the world. Everybody wants to be there. The most experienced give us peace of mind and freedom to do what they want.”
Vinicius will look to partner with Neymar for Brazil to deliver World Cup glory later this year.
The 21-year-old appears to play in a similar fashion to the PSG star, with Vinicius attempting 234 dribbles in the 2021-22 LaLiga – the most by a Madrid player in a single season since 2005-06.
Nevertheless, Vinicius still sees Neymar as the best player for Brazil as he learns to cope with the pressure of playing for the Selecao.
“He is our best player. The rivals always focus more on him and he asks us to run into space because he has a great quality to find us,” he added.
“He does everything for me, he is a great friend. The pressure is greater for him being older. He calls it responsibility. He also takes it away from us, from those who are arriving.
“Playing for the national team is a lot of pressure, but we’re getting used to it.”