Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr expressed his desire to stay at the club “forever” after delivering a stunning hat trick in the Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday.
The defending champions headed into the locker room at half time at the Bernabeu down 2-0 against their 2023/2024 final opponents, who seemed determined to exact revenge for their earlier defeat at Wembley this year.
However, history repeated itself when Los Blancos staged another epic comeback, with Vinicius netting a hat trick as his team surged to a 5-2 victory on Matchday 3.
In an on-pitch interview with Movistar after the final whistle, Vinicius admitted that Madrid needs to improve as a team or head coach Carlo Ancelotti “won’t be able to handle it.”
Most importantly, he emphasized that the team needs to “believe in ourselves.”
“In our house and with our fans anything can happen. When we got to the locker room [at half time], we only listened to the coach and we said only one thing: ‘If we score first we will come back again’,” Vini said.
“We’re looking at how we’re going to play and the coach wants to make the games easier for us. In the second half we changed the formation and the dynamic. It’s our competition and we want to win it again,” he added.
According to Goal, Vinicius Jr has been linked with a possible transfer to Saudi Arabia next summer, where Al-Ahly is willing to set a new world transfer record to bring him to the Kingdom’s Pro League. Vinicius, however, noted that he has four years left on his contract and aims to “continue forever” with Real Madrid.
Viewed as the frontrunner for the prestigious individual award given by France Football, Vinicius declined to comment on the upcoming Ballon d’Or ceremony, which will take place in Paris next Monday.
Vinicius Jr on Real Madrid exit talks
“I leave that to the people,” he said. “They can say what they want, I’m happy when the fans sing my name.”
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti lauded Vinícius Júnior’s “extraordinary character” and “energy” after the Ballon d’Or contender netted a second-half hat trick in Real Madrid’s 5-2 comeback victory against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
“It’s rare for a player to have a second half like he did,” Ancelotti remarked during his post-match press conference. “He exhibited remarkable energy and intensity, along with extraordinary character.”
Carlo Ancelotti also shared his thoughts on Vinícius Junior’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or: “I believe [Vinícius] will win it, but not solely based on his performance tonight,” Ancelotti said. “It will be due to his achievements last season. The three goals tonight will certainly contribute to his chances of winning the next Ballon d’Or!”
Before that, Vinicius Jr must now shift his focus to El Classico against Madrid’s fierce rivals, FC Barcelona, this weekend.
