A super performance against Liverpool in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals on April 6 made 20-year-old striker Vinicius praised by many former Real players.

“Definitely and without question, Vinicius is the best player in this match. What shows that he meets all expectations,” Jorge Valdano, former striker, former Real CEO commented on Movistar after the 3-1 win. Javier Balboa, a former Real winger, shared the same opinion, posting a photo of Vinicius celebrating the opening goal with the caption “Player of the match” on Twitter.

Vinicus celebrates opening the scoring in the 27th minute. Photo: Mundo Deportivo
Vinicus celebrates opening the scoring in the 27th minute. Photo: Mundo Deportivo

At Di Stefano’s home field on April 6, Vinicus kicked to the left on Real Madrid’s three-man attack, and scored a brace. In the 27th minute, from Toni Kroos’ long pass, the 20-year-old Brazilian striker accelerated through the two Liverpool players, controlled his chest, and brought the ball to a favorable position and then decisively shot his right foot, defeating Alisson Becker to open the scoring. In the 65th minute, when Liverpool had just equalized and were showing signs of playing better, Vinicius spoke again. From a seemingly harmless ball, the Brazilian striker received a pass from Luka Modric and then kicked with his right foot in the penalty area, re-establishing a two-goal lead for Real.

“This is his best game since joining Real, considering the size of the game, the opponent and the way Vinicus does his job in front of goal,” Álvaro Benito – another former Real player – praised also on Movistar. “Vincius will improve even more if he sharpens his shots. After this game I am a lifelong Vinicius fan.”

Predrag Mijatovic – the owner of the decisive goal to help Real defeat Juventus in the 1998 Champions League final – also praised Vinicius. “His two goals have come from high-class finishes. Let’s wait and see if Vinicius scores more,” the former Serbian striker commented on Cadena SER shortly after Vinicus completed the brace.

Poli Rincon, another former Real striker, emphasized the inhibitions of Trent-Alexander Arnold – the Liverpool right-back was regularly beaten by Vinicius in situations down the line. The inhibition caused Arnold, after a collision phase, to swing his arms and then raise his horns to provoke Vinicus. “From the first ball facing Vinicius, Arnold was hot,” commented Rincon on COPE.

Tomas Roncero, editor-in-chief of AS and a journalist who has followed Real for many years, regrets Vinicius because Real can’t play this match in front of a crowd at the Bernabeu. “A night out above all else for Vinicius. He has established himself as a Real Madrid superstar for the foreseeable future. If he were to play at the Bernabeu today, he would be hailed and hailed as a hero by the crowd, for his impressive performance, two goals and the tackles he was involved in. Vinicius revolutionized Real this game.”

This journalist and lifelong Real fan also exclaims: “Vinicius – a 20-year-old genius born in Brazil is lighting the future for Real in Europe. When the Champions League music plays, Real is a different team, playing football with a different mentality. And with a star like Vinicius, Real shows quality and superiority. This collective can dream of the 14th Cup C1 / Champions League”.

After the match, like Valdano and Balboa, Vinicius was awarded the award for the best player by the European Football Federation (UEFA). Whoscored page also gave the Brazilian striker the highest score of all players, with 8.7 points.