Vinicius is the €1bn man destined to rival Haaland and Mbappe for a decade
Vinicius Junior and Erling Haaland shared a moment on the Bernabeu pitch at the end of last week’s Champions League semi-final firstleg draw between Real Madrid and Manchester City, but if the pair are to line up on the same team any time soon it will be in the white of the Spanish club rather than in the Premier League.
Telegraph Sport can confirm that, even though it has not been officially announced, Vinicius last summer signed a contract with Real that runs until 2027 and includes a £1billion release clause.
And the long-term agent of Vinicius, Frederico Pena, speaking exclusively via video call from Sao Paulo, said he believed his star client could stay at Real Madrid for his entire career.
Pena, who negotiated Vinicius’s move to Real as an 18-year-old in 2018, said: “Vini is very close with Real Madrid and he’s so happy there. He loves the club. He’s kind of turned into a man there.”
While playing for Real is believed to be on Haaland’s bucket list, it would appear Vinicius has no plans to make tonight’s second-leg trip to Manchester permanent in the near future.
On whether Vinicius could move to the Premier League one day, Pena said: “I can’t really see that happening, but who knows, things change in football. I would just say if he were to leave Real Madrid some day, it would make no sense for it to be anywhere other than the Premier League.
“But will he one day leave Real Madrid or will he be a one-club kind of player? I would tell you right now there’s a big chance that he’s the kind of player who stays in one club and makes history there.”
Vinicius enhanced his reputation as one of the best players in the world with a stunning goal in Madrid last week and has travelled to Manchester as Real’s biggest attacking threat. He netted the winner in last season’s final against Liverpool and winning the Champions League for a second successive year would clinch the 22-year-old’s 10th piece of silverware with the Spaniards.
Along with City striker Haaland and Paris St-germain’s Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius is expected to compete for the major individual honours now that the Lionel Messi-cristiano Ronaldo era is coming to an end.
As disclosed by last week, Real retain an interest in Mbappe and could try to team him up with Vinicius and Haaland over the next few years in what would represent a return to the Galacticos era, which is likely to also include England midfielder Jude Bellingham.
“I think the Ronaldo and Messi era was unique,” Pena said. “I don’t know if we can think about a rivalry to match that over such a long period of time. I think we’ll go back to a time where there’s a bigger group of players in that spotlight. For instance, Haaland is playing in the Premier League, which has the biggest global reach, and that will play a part. But Haaland plays for Norway, who are not fighting for the World Cup.
“Vini is such a professional and is so disciplined, I think he will be at that level for the next decade and more. But I don’t think it will be only those three players [Vinicius, Haaland and Mbappe], I believe it will evolve in a different way.”
While Vinicius is the darling of the Real fans and fast becoming a global star, the Brazilian has also been a target of racist abuse. Eight complaints have been filed to La Liga this season and Barcelona’s title-winning celebrations were marred by cries of “Die Vinicius” being captured on camera.
The way in which he has coped with the abuse and pressure that have come with his superb performances has been just as impressive as his form on the pitch, and Pena disclosed that preparation for the mental and physical challenges Vinicius might face started before his 14th birthday.
“We’ve been working together now for almost 10 years. We started in 2014, before he turned 14,” Pena said. “In the beginning, the work is giving support and advice because at that age players don’t really have agents and they don’t have commercial opportunities.
“So it’s getting to know how we use the information of past experiences, to make their lives better and to have a better path. We have a lot of people in the agency who also have experience with football youth academies, so a lot of work was done regarding nutrition, mental coaching, training and physiotherapy.
“Before, footballers didn’t treat their bodies as if they were Olympians. Now, they are high-performance athletes. It’s about letting them know that this is serious stuff and the earlier you start, the better for your entire career. This is how we start dealing with these young guys. It’s more of an advisory role in the beginning, more than agency work.”