France legend Zinedine Zidane has already made his feelings clear on Vinicius Junior’s future at Real Madrid.
Back in July 2018, Vinicius arrived at Madridas a fresh-faced 18-year-old from Brazilian club Flamengo.
Since then, the winger has developed into a key player at the club and also become one of the best players in world football.
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So far, the 24-year-old has managed 91 goals in 279 appearances across all competitions.
Back in 2019, when Zidane was still manager at the club, the Frenchman heaped praise on Vinicius, branding him as the future of Madrid.
As reported by The Telegrafi, Zidane said: “He has the confidence of his coach, which is me.
“Vinicius represents the future of Madrid, it will just take time. Sometimes he doesn’t play. But, I have full faith in Vinicius, and I’m counting on him.”
Ahead of the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony on Monday, Vinicius is the firm favourite to pick up the prestigious trophy at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France.
Last month, speaking ahead of the ceremony, Vinicius said to CNN, via Planet Football: “I have to talk about Marta, who is the greatest to ever play the [women’s game].
“I have great affection for her because I believe she changed the sport and put women’s football on the level it deserves. Women’s football is growing day by day and Marta was one of the pioneers. Marta is for us is what Pele was for everyone in Brazil, like Ayrton Senna, she’s from a level where there is one person in every million.”
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He added: “And as for the men’s players, I have Kaka as an example, I have Ronaldo who won the award twice, I have Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, a lot of Brazilian players who have won the Ballon d’Or.
“But without a doubt, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho are the ones I’m closest with, who tell me every day that I have to win the Ballon d’Or. I was with Ronaldo just now when I was in Ibiza and trained at his house and he told me: ‘Train here a few more days, so you are closer to the Ballon d’Or.’
“They are players who did incredible things and to be able to compete for the Ballon d’Or and to win an award that they won, that would be something really incredible.”Featured Image Credit: Getty
