Vinicius Junior highlights Real Madrid icon as idol – ‘I’ve seen all of his games’

Real Madrid are fast approaching the new season, and following the exit fo Karim Benzema, will look to Vinicius Junior in order to lead their attack.

There is a good argument to say that Vinicius was already doing so last year, but with the Frenchman no longer there, even more of their attacks will flow through the Brazilian.

Recently, he changed numbers and took Cristiano Ronaldo’s old number 7 shirt, something he was grateful for as he told Marca.

“I am very grateful to wear this shirt that very good players have worn.”

“I am inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo because I have seen all of his games and he has marked an era in the club. He is an idol for me.”

This is of course no surprise that he would pick out the Portuguese as his idol, being an iconic part of Real Madrid history. An entire generation grew up admiring Ronaldo, and he is by distance the top goalscorer in their history.

That said, it does contradict the now well-publicised narrative that Vinicius was a Barcelona fan as a teenager. Gerard Pique has previously spoken about Vinicius’ desire to join Barcelona before he headed to Real Madrid, while Agent Andre Cury also claimed that Vinicius was in tears at a Barcelona win just two years before joining Los Blancos.