Real Madrid focus: Why 45m wonderkid Vinicius Junior was key to Santiago Solari getting the Bernabeu job
Four wins out of four, 15 goals scored, two conceded, and a leap from ninth to sixth place in the table now only four points behind FC Barcelona.The numbers provide plenty of evidence to explain why Santiago Solari has been trusted with the full-time Real Madrid coaching job (even if the lack of alternatives available also helped).
3Santiago Solari was previously in charge of the Real Madrid B teamBut equally important is an 18-year-old from Brazil who has only played 29 minutes in La Liga, and on whose shoulders rest a huge amount of expectations. In a season in which big players have invariably flattered to deceive, Vincius Jniors promise and the capacity to turn that into full Real Madrid-grade elite level productivity has played a significant part in defining the outcome of the search for a coach in the Spanish capital.It has been an unusual few months for Madrid to say the least, not only on the pitch, but also as far back as the summer and their business (or lack thereof). The superstar who had propelled the club to four European Cups in four years as well as countless merchandise and ticket sales departed, but there was no replacement of a similar level brought in. Instead, in a sign of the shake-up at the top of La Liga, it was Atltico who made the superstar signing, paying Monaco 70m for soon-to-be world champion Thomas Lemar, the most expensive outlay by any club in Spain. Rather than making a galctico splash to try and soothe the sting of Cristianos exit, Florentino Perezs biggest transaction was 45m for a kid many people hadnt heard of. Someone who had never played in Europe, and wasnt even close to breaking into the senior Brazil team. An investment in the future, but also one Los Blancos need to start paying off sooner rather than later. After all, this was another transfer window in which they failed again to get Neymar, and as Football Leaks has shown, also failed to get Kylian Mbapp. Big bets have been hedged on Vincius turning out to be just as captivating a star.
3Vinicius Junior is unveiled as Real Madrid player by Florentino PerezThe first coach tasked with converting that all-important prospect into the finished article didnt want to play ball. Julen Lopeteguis calls for patience with the youngster were welcomed at the start of the season, yet as results started to turn poorly, that perspective was suddenly lost, the wunderkind painted as the solution to all of Madrids troubles.Vincius became an easy stick with which to beat the embattled coach, and with every passing game in which the winger was either told to go and play with the B team and pay his dues, or left out of the matchday squad, the fury built more still. El Clsico was the culmination. When the signing was left out of the matchday squad despite travelling to Barcelona with the seniors ahead of the game, the people upstairs at the Bernabu werent impressed. To say the least.They were less impressed still with the 5-1 defeat, and in a flash, Lopetegui was gone. In his place stands the man Madrid hopes can do a better job with their important investment, and it should be noted that Santiago Solari has played his cards intelligently. In his first game as Madrid interim boss, he handed the Brazilian a starting spot. In his second, his Champions League debut. The hat-trick of presidential pleasing was hammered home on the third occasion, when the young prospect was brought on to turn the tide against a superior Valladolid side, breaking the deadlock thanks to a deflected shot with seven minutes left on the clock.
3Vinicius Junior is fast becoming a star for Real MadridSolari has been very intelligent. He knew how to produce what the team needed, and above all what the club was looking for, an unnamed Madrid director told Marca on Tuesday. The last part of the quote is not insignificant. It could be the most significant.Solari coached Vincius hands-on, every day for three months as his boss at Castilla, so perhaps he simply saw what Lopetegui couldnt, that the signing really is close to the finished article. Or perhaps hes just being savvy and pleasing the right people a quality not to be underestimated at a club like Real Madrid, as Lopetegui found out. Either way, expect the focus on the Perezs new hope, his development, and how the newly crowned coach handles it to be a continued theme throughout the season.
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