Brazilian winger Vinicius Junior is set to see the fruits of his labour pay off as Real Madrid prepare to reward him with a contract that will see him earn £300,000 in weekly wages.
Vinicius joined Los Blancos in 2018/19 after they beat Barcelona to his signing. He has grown in leaps and bounds and is now a player who the fans have full confidence in. In the absence of Karim Benzema, who has battled multiple injuries these past two seasons, the former Flamengo youth has stepped up.
When paired with Benzema, he has taken Real Madrid’s attack to a whole other level and this has helped them achieve great success.
They won the UEFA Champions League last season but were outclassed by Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in this season’s semi-finals. The 22-year-old, however, put in a shift that will surely see him make the team of the tournament and possibly give him a shot at winning the player of the tournament award.
Real Madrid have now chosen to reward his efforts with an increase in wages to keep him loyal to the club and to fend away other clubs who have their eyes on him.
While the £300,000 wages is deserved, it may not have mattered much to Vini Jr., who has expressed his intention to retire at Real Madrid multiple times in the past, despite being under 23 years old and unsure of what the future holds.
His current contract expires in 2024 but the new one he will sign will keep him at the club until 2027. He will also earn more than Benzema and Kroos, both of whom are on the wrong side of 30 and could be out of the club next summer as Madrid looks to rebuild.
Vinicius could also cash in on his new superstar status to secure a mega boot deal. Reports claim he is aiming to match the £20 million deal Erling Haaland has with Nike in this regard.
Vinicius is a Nike athlete like the Manchester City forward but his deal earns him way less than the Norwegian’s. He is currently being courted by Puma and is hoping to use the interest from a rival brand to get Nike to improve the terms of their deal.
He is also willing to switch to Puma if they give him what he wants, which will see the Oregon-based sportswear brand lose out on one of the big stars of the future.
Puma is hoping to use their biggest ambassador, Neymar, to get him. Vinicius Junior respects Neymar greatly and a word from Brazil’s all-time leading goalscorer could sway the negotiations in Puma’s favour in the coming weeks.
