So I am puzzled by Vinicius Jr.
First off, as you guys have been reading, I have been one of his biggest believers, even at the worst of times when he was the laughing stock of Real Madrid, including that incident where that snake Banzema told his French teammate not to pass to him.
When Vinicius emerged on the scene back in Brazil, he was doing enough things to be labeled the next Neymar and rightly so. He was a prodigy at an early age, just like Neymar was, which is why he attracted the attention of Flamengo and later Real Madrid.
But when he came to Madrid, and while he had flashes here and there, seems like something was missing. Sure, it could be the difference between playing in Brazil and playing in a more tough European league, but it is not like other Brazilians haven’t done this and adopted (save for the few like Gabigol)
Then things start to turn around late last year.
Then this year happens, where he is not only scoring goals, he is making things look so easy and his confidence is through the roof. For example, his second goal today is something that even Neymar wouldn’t have chipped with such ease. Yet Vinicius made it seem like he is Messi and having done similar goals so often.
So really, my question is or what I am wondering about, how could such an early potential go missing for years, and now suddenly he discovered? I know he is only 21 (for comparison’s sake, Neymar was almost 22 when he moved to Barcelona) and has been playing in Europe for almost 4 years. Is it the coach that is unlocking his true potential, but it is not like Zidane is a terrible coach or wasn’t giving him enough playing time.
This begs another question: what if Vinicius didn’t move to RM at age 18, and made the move at age 20 instead , where last year would have been his first full season with the club? How much would that have helped him adapt easier?
Which brings me to another player who is easily the best young talent to come out of Brazil: Kayke! He has barely played half a season in Brazil, and he has already moved to Manchester City! Compare that to VJ who had played almost 2 full seasons or Neymar who played 4 seasons with Santos. Shouldn’t they have let the kid play at least 1-2 full seasons before making the move? First, you are not letting him develop properly and when he goes there , he could flop and they will say he wasn’t good. Second, you need to let him develop that Brazilian flair, which he can’t really do if he only plays a fraction of a season. Sure, he would have learnt some of the samba fundamentals at an earlier age, or even playing in the streets, but that is not nearly enough. Otherwise what is the point, they may as well skip Brazilian clubs and just fly them to Europe when they are teenagers and rob them that Brazilian element to play beautiful football.