You, a Atlético fan who reads the news with the aim of discrediting Vinicius, otherwise I will be anti-Atlético. You, a Real Madrid fan who has read the headline and angrily proceeds to read the news in search of something that reaffirms your belief that Vinicius is the Ballon d'Or winner. I invite both of you to put down the gun you have pointed at my temple and read this article calmly and quietly.
Yes, we are a media outlet that covers Atlético de Madrid and the first prejudice that comes to mind when reading the news is probably "what have they invented to criticize it now?" It is normal, in the world we live in, it is rare to read articles that are more thoughtful and that make the reader think and rethink things that they take for granted.
First of all, it must be made clear that Vinicius Jr is a great player, that is, when he is focused and is dedicated to playing football. When he is dedicated to making righteous proclamations or provoking rivals and fans knowing what shirt he wears, that is when he most irritates his own and others. This does not mean that any racist insult must be harshly and immediately punished, as when Dion Lopy was insulted by a fan at the Eldense stadium last Sunday.
Very poor performance in the National Team
Non-sporting issues aside, with this international break I've been looking at the statistics of LALIGA players with their national team. And the truth is that I've been very struck by Vinicius Jr's goals and assists with Brazil. It's quite shocking because at Real Madrid he doesn't stop contributing, either with a goal or an assist, in almost every game, but with the Brazilian national team his performance is very poor.
Vinicius Junior has played 34 games for the Brazilian national team. In these matches he has scored 5 goals and given 5 assists , and of course, when you compare these numbers with other footballers, the impact is greater. In the case of Julián Álvarez , the recent centre forward for Atlético de Madrid, he has currently played 3 more games than the Brazilian with the following figures: 10 goals and 2 assists.
Vinicius Junior vs Brazilian forwards
The wound is even greater when comparing the Real Madrid star with previous Brazilian strikers. It is important to note that it is important to compare him with South American strikers, since in CONCACAF they continue to play friendlies, while in UEFA they are all official matches. In this sense, the comparison is more accurate.
These are the numbers of the last forwards of the national team of the country with the most famous Carnival in the world, in 34 matches.
- Roberto Firmino: 10 goals and 4 assists.
- Gabriel Jesus: 17 goals and 7 assists.
- Richarlison: 13 goals and 5 assists.
- Willian: 6 goals and 7 assists.
- Jô in 20 games (did not play any more): 5 goals and 1 assist.
- Fred: 17 goals and 5 assists.
- Ronaldo Nazário: 20 goals and 10 assists.
And if we compare him with the two greatest legends, quite possibly, in the history of Brazil, the statistics, far from improving, are just plain obvious. Let us remember that these numbers are from the first 34 games of all the footballers mentioned:
- Pelé 37 goals and 19 assists.
- Neymar 20 goals and 12 assists.
Is Vinicius Junior overrated?
These figures, together with the fierce criticism he is facing in Brazil, raise a question: Is he an overrated footballer? Has he perhaps been overhyped to win the Ballon d'Or?
Well, most likely not. He's a very good player, but having Paquetá or Bruno Guimaraes at your side, with all due respect, is not the same as having Toni Kroos or Luka Modric. In terms of the Ballon d'Or, he may not be at the level of Rodri or Carvajal, who have shown more consistency throughout the year.
However, if he were to perform for the national team as he did for Madrid, there would probably be no discussion. All this must be taken into account in a year in which there was a Copa America and his team was eliminated in the quarter-finals on penalties. The Brazilian extrem's contribution was reduced to two goals in four games.
At this point I would like to clarify that, in my opinion, individual awards in a team sport do not make much sense. Just as this particular award has been a marketing sham for years.