Vinicius could be the next Ronaldo, says Real Madrid legend Salgado
dubai — Real Madrid legend Michel Salgado has hailed greenhorn Vinicius Junior and said that the 18-year-old striker could be the next Cristiano Ronaldo in the making at the club.
Vinicius Junior was signed from Brazilian club Flamengo last season and his remarkable performance saw him being fast-tracked from Real Madrid Castilla, the reserve team, to the first team, after just five appearances.
And picked by new manager Santiago Solari, Vinicius hasn’t put a foot wrong so far, appearing in 11 La Liga fixtures and scoring two goals as well as two goals in seven appearances in the Copa del Rey.
Vinicius was a commanding presence in the final third during the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal at Camp Nou with the 18-year-old causing many an headache for the Barcelona backline.
Although still a work in progress, former Real Madrid right back Salgado reckoned that the young gun could finally fill the void left by five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo.
“He’s had an exceptional month, I would say,” Salgado told the Khaleej Times in an exclusive chat on Thursday.
“He’s learning very quickly. When he’s got the chance to go one on one, he’s doing it. And he’s choosing the right thing to do and the decision-making has been much better now and he’s only 18 years old. It is not easy to come from Brazil at 18 and then make it through the first team and being a regular. So, it is great news for us, it is great news for the club, especially with (Cristiano) Ronaldo gone. He can now be the next Ronaldo at Real Madrid, the next big name at Real Madrid. I’m really happy for the kid and for the club as well because we are producing a great player for the future,” added Salgado, who spent a decade with the Los Blancos.
Barcelona and Real Madrid will contest in two more El Clasicos over the next two months with the return leg of the Copa del Rey on February 27 and a La Liga fixture on March 2, both at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Life has gone on for Real Madrid without Ronaldo, who has since moved to Italian giants Juventus but despite his absence, Salgado felt that the El Clasico has not lost its aura.
“The aura is never missing in an El Clasico. An El Clasico is not important just because of (Lionel) Messi or (Cristiano) Ronaldo. The El Clasico is important because there is Barcelona and Real Madrid and nobody is going to care about Ronaldo or Messi in 20 years. I remember when I was there, it was (Bernd) Schuster and (Diego) Maradona, (Emilio) Butragueno and Maradona, Raul and Rivaldo. Clasico is a Clasico because of Real Madrid and Barcelona, not because of the name of the players. Real Madrid and Barcelona made the players bigger, not the other way round,” observed Salgado.