Two bright young Brazilians will receive their first opportunity at Champions League success in a Real Madrid group full of seasoned players looking for their sixth European crown.
Vinicius and Rodrygo experience their first Champions League triumph
Vincius Jnior and Rodrygo, two 21-year-old attackers who came in Spain a week apart after being signed as teenage sensations in Brazil, had breakout seasons and will face Liverpool in their first Champions League final on Saturday in suburban Paris.
“We expected this to happen one day, but we didn’t expect it to happen so quickly,” said Rodrygo, who joined the team in 2019 from Brazilian club Santos.
“We gone the extra mile for this moment… we are quite pleased with what we have been through here.” Vincius joined from Brazilian club Flamengo a year before.
He was also recruited as a youngster and spent time in Brazil before moving to Spain when he became 18. They both started with Madrid’s “B” team before joining the first team.
“This is going to be the most crucial match of my career,” Vincius stated.
“That’s not difficult to come early at a team like Real Madrid, but you have the benefit of playing in many Champions League finals.” “I’m hoping this is the first of many.” Madrid is hoping for the same thing since it gambled on young Brazilians and paid 45 million euros ($48 million) on each without understanding unless they could live up to hype. A similar effort to recruit Reinier, a young Brazilian from Flamengo, did not go anyway.
He is currently on loan with Borussia Dortmund.
Vincius, Madrid’s top dribbler, shown early promise but struggled to establish himself as a regular starter. He missed too many shots in front of the goal, and supporters became enraged. However, he made significant progress this season under coach Carlo Ancelotti, whose offensive line resonated with the Brazilian starring with Karim Benzema.