Vinicius Junior Discusses Real Madrid Debut, Dream After Atletico Madrid Draw

Vinicius Junior said he had long dreamed of starring for Real Madrid after making his debut for Los Blancos on Saturday in the scoreless draw against Atletico Madrid.

The Brazilian starlet played his first La Liga minutes in the derby and spoke to Real Madrid TV after the contest (h/t Goal's Sacha Pisani):

"I'm really pleased to have made my first appearance in a Real Madrid shirt.

"I want to thank all of the players who help me to improve in every training session and [Julen] Lopetegui too.

"It was a really happy moment for me.

"Right from a young age, I dreamed of playing for Real Madrid, the best team in the world.

"I'm really grateful for the support from all of the fans. It's a day I'll never forget. There are no words to describe this moment."

The 18-year-old replaced Karim Benzema in the final minutes of the derby, with Los Blancos chasing a goal. He flashed his talent in a brief cameo but was unable to make the difference.

After a great spell with Castilla, where he routinely showed he's already too good to play at the lower level, the debut was well deserved. There were quite a few raised eyebrows at the timing, however, given the importance of the match and the fact Mariano Diaz was available:

Real's handling of the tricky winger has been peculiar. The club spent big money on him despite the fact he had barely played against grown-ups in 2017 and left him at Flamengo until this summer, allowing him to continue his development.

Once at Real, he mostly trained with the first team and played for Castilla, where there were limited opportunities to learn. Loan rumours soon started to pop up, but the club kept him in the capital to the despair of fans who expected him to play limited minutes until January and then go out on loan anyway.

Selecao Brasileira noted links with Real Valladolid and expressed hope he would move as soon as possible:

Lopetegui now trusts the youngster enough to play him against local rivals Atletico, however, a sign he could be in for an increase in playing time soon. His UEFA Champions League debut could be on the horizon as well given Los Blancos' injury concerns:

Los Blancos play CSKA Moscow on Tuesday without Gareth Bale and Isco. That could open the door for Mariano to start, with Vinicius likely to play a good chunk of minutes in the second half.