Vinicius Junior

Some Lesser Known Facts About Vinicius Junior

• Vinicius Junior’s decision to train at the Flamengo Academy made his family relocate in 2010. While his father moved to Sao Paulo, his mother accompanied her son to Gavea, from where Vinicius would board a bus every single day to travel to the Academy.

• When he was 13, Claudio Cacapa, coach of the Brazilian U-15 team spotted him and drafted ‘the exceptional talent’ into the Brazilian side. Since then, Vinicius’ career graph has seen only peaks.

• While representing the Brazil U-15 team at the South American Football Championship, he scored 6 goals in as many matches, helping his side to an easy victory.

• The heroic performance at the U-15 level, however, went unnoticed. He then came into the limelight while showcasing his skills at the U-17 South American Championship, where he scored 7 goals and earned the ‘Best Player of the Tournament’ trophy. Because of this victory, the team even qualified for the 2017 U-17 World Cup.

• Although Vinicius has every move in his book, he is best-known for his ‘Chapeus’ technique. This shot involves the ball being flipped over the defender’s/goalkeeper’s head, making them feel ‘humiliated’.

• He was signed by the Real Madrid F.C. for a whopping €45 million in 2016. However, the ‘next Neymar’ cannot compete from the club’s side until he turns 18.

• The Manchester United F.C. were also reportedly interested in signing the young-generation star. They, however, failed to negotiate with the Flamengo Club.