Vinicius Junior Says He Had an Offer from Barcelona Before Real Madrid Move
Vinicius Junior has said he followed his heart by joining Real Madrid over Barcelona after receiving offers from both Spanish giants.
The 19-year-old Brazilian agreed a deal to join Real from Flamengo in 2017 and subsequently moved to Madrid in July 2018 in a transfer worth £38.7 million:
Vinicius has said he had to decide between joining Los Blancos and Barca, because the Blaugrana also made an offer to sign him, per AS (h/t Goal):
"I thought it was not true. I thought they were just rumours from the newspapers. I had proposals from Madrid and Barca, too. My father told me that I had to choose, and I had to follow my heart.
"[It was] incredible. In Brazil there is nothing like it, it was a very special day. I was very nervous on the day of the presentation because I had to speak Spanish, and I was not yet studying. In addition, Ronaldo came only for the presentation. A football legend like him. I was very happy. It was one of the happiest days of my life."
In 2018-19, Vinicius was one of few bright sparks for Real as they went through three different managers, failed to launch a legitimate La Liga title challenge, and were knocked out the Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League prematurely.
He made 18 appearances in La Liga and four in the Champions League and became a key part of Real's first team, particularly under Santiago Solari:
In March, though, Vinicius suffered a knee injury against Ajax that kept him out for two months and led to him missing out on the Brazil squad for the 2019 Copa America.
In 2019-20, under manager Zinedine Zidane, the forward has played seven times in La Liga, netting one goal and providing one assist.
He was used as a substitute in Real's clash with Real Betis on Saturday, but he was unable to prevent them being held to a frustrating 0-0 draw at home.
Had Real beaten Betis, they would have moved to the top of the table in La Liga, two points ahead of Barca.
Instead, they are now tied with their biggest rivals:
Real are back in action on Wednesday against Galatasaray in the Champions League before Saturday's visit to Eibar in La Liga.
