Real Madrid reportedly beat Barcelona and a whole host of top European clubs to one of Brazil’s brightest young stars, and he has revealed why he chose Los Blancos.
Vinicius Junior continues to shine in his homeland with Flamengo, scoring six goals and providing three assists in 11 games so far this season.
As per ESPN, the 17-year-old has already signed for Madrid in a €45m deal, but he will remain with Flamengo until his 18th birthday, at which point it will be up to the Spanish giants to decide whether to allow him to continue to develop in Brazil or to call him to Spain to take the next step in his progression.
Speaking about his decision, the youngster has revealed why he opted for Real Madrid with Barcelona specifically mentioned as an interested party prior to the deal being done.
“I chose Real Madrid because it’s the biggest club,” he told ESPN Brazil. “I’ve always chosen to play among the best, and with help from Marcelo and Casemiro, I made that choice.
“I admire Marcelo a lot, and also Casemiro. I’ve always admired them both, I always followed them and now they helped me to choose Madrid, which so far has been great for me.”
The 13-time European champions are set to make changes this summer following Zinedine Zidane’s departure on Thursday, and it now remains to be seen when they decide to recall Vinicius Junior to play a key role in their bid for further success.