Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid said the criticism he has been getting helps him to go further in his football career at the Spanish La Liga club.
The 20-year-old Brazilian left-winger was the starman in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final round between Real Madrid and Liverpool on Tuesday, April 6, 2021.
Vinicius Junior scored the opener in the 27th minute and tripled Real Madrid’s lead in the 65th minute to give Real Madrid a 3-1 win over Liverpool at home which has given the Spanish side the advantage ahead of the return leg on April 14.
Vinicius Junior was so good in the game that he was awarded the man of the match ahead of Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and became a talking point across the world.
🏅 ¡@vinijr, elegido el mejor jugador del partido!#UCL | #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/7jGnDxrymV
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) April 6, 2021
After the game, the Brazilian youngster said the win over Liverpool happened in the best moment of the season, adding that the comments of his critics make him stronger.
“It’s very nice to win, at the best moment of the season,” Vinicius said. “The outsiders speak, I keep working. It gives me the strength I need to get to the important moment and score the goals we need. I work a lot, I’ve always dreamed of playing for Madrid and I think that because of the desire I’ve had all season, at the club and with my family, I always want the best for our fans.”
The 20-year-old winger went on to praise the coach of the team, Zinedine Zidane, and the club’s veteran midfielder Toni Kroos. He described the 31-year-old German midfielder as an incredible footballer whose style of play can not be compared to any other player.
Vinicius Junior said: “It was hugely important to win the game. It’s a good result, we’ve worked hard all year to win every game at the key stage of the season. We didn’t let them create much at all, we have to keep this up and continue playing like we did today”.
“The coach always transmits the sense of calm we need to put what we work on in training into practice. We did everything he asked of us today and we did it well. Toni (Kroos) is unbelievable, he’s a wonderful player. Every time he steps onto the pitch, he shows his immense class, nobody plays like him. I’d like to thank him for the pass, I’m delighted to have scored”.
Vinicius Junior joined Real Madrid from a Brazilian club Flamengo on July 12, 2018, for a transfer fee worth €45 million. Since then, the winger has scored 14 goals and provided 22 assists in 106 games in all competitions for Madrid.
So far this season, the Brazilian winger has managed to score 3 goals and provided 4 assists in 26 Spanish La Liga games. He has scored 6 goals and provided 6 assists in 37 games in all competitions this season.
His contract with Real Madrid will last until June 30, 2025. His current transfer market value is estimated to be €40 million.
