Real Madrid coaching staff reprimanded him for not following the plan. In fact, Vinicius always looked for low angles, but when he saw Ter Stegen move, he shot high and into the middle: the ball hit the crossbar.
It took a long time to get the next opportunity, after two muscle injuries that forced him to miss 11 games, the most serious injuries since he started his career.
Vinicius’s last 25 Champions League matches
In mid-December, after recovering from his injury, Vinicius proactively postponed his return to competition to be in the best shape. When La Liga had a winter break, he and Thiago Lobo, the physical coach, went to the US to practice.
During the Christmas days, Vini went coast to coast watching NBA games in Los Angeles, Oklahoma and New York. Of course, he did not forget about intense training.
Upon his return, in the Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia, Vinicius received another penalty against rival Barca. This time he scored against Inaki Pena, completing his hat-trick in 39 minutes.
After 3 months, in another “El Clasico” match that decided the La Liga title, Vini met Ter Stegen again. He scored from the 11m mark, opening up a 3-2 victory and Real Madrid won the championship two rounds later.
Legendary road
Toni Kroos, the god of Real Madrid
On Allianz Arena night last week, when Bayern Munich led 2-1 and the pressure was huge, Vinicius stepped up to face legendary goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. The match entered the 83rd minute, he won and helped Madrid leave Germany with a draw.
The goal culminated Vinicius’s ever-transforming career. In addition to the poise in his shot, there are many characteristics of his transformation.
The penalty was the end of a situation that he himself directed. Not obsessing about getting into the penalty area, Vini controlled the time until he found the right moment to pass to Rodrygo, who was brought down by Kim Min Jae.
Vinicius steps into new fields. There, he demonstrated his tactical understanding refined after many matches alongside Benzema.
Vinicius has a great influence on Real Madrid’s tactics
His first goal in Munich, when Madrid were struggling the most, earned him rare praise from Kroos for his progress in reading the game: “A lot of praise for Vinicius. He was the one who asked me to make the pass with my own movements.”
Kroos emphasized: “Vini is not only fast but also smart and knows how to move and at the right time.”
The development of intelligent football allowed Vinicius to exploit the areas closest to the goal, something he had not learned during his days in Brazil.
Now, Vini is on par with the best strikers in Europe: he ranks 12th in scoring efficiency in five major tournaments, with 0.6 goals per 90 minutes (according to StatsBomb data). In front of him is Kane, Mbappe, Haaland, Morata, Isak…
Vinicius entered his third stage of evolution as Ancelotti changed the system. He is confidently conquering things that he could not imagine when he first came to Madrid.