Vinicius Junior Had 'Three Days' to Decide Between Real Madrid and Barcelona

Vinicius Junior has said he had "three days" to decide between a move to Real Madrid or Barcelona in 2017 when both La Liga giants came in for his signature.

The forward spoke to FourFourTwo about his decision to make the move to the Santiago Bernabeu from Brazilian side Flamengo.

"It was right after I came back from the 2017 South American U17 Championship in Chile. There were already rumours in the press, but I never believed them.

"Eventually it happened: both Real Madrid and Barcelona put offers on the table and I had only three days to make my decision. I always wanted to play for the greatest club, so that's why I chose Real.

"My parents visited both clubs and liked them more. It matched with what I already wanted, and I felt their project was better for me.

"They give a lot of minutes to the younger players, like me, and were going through an outstanding period of success in the Champions League back then."

Vinicius was just 16 when Real Madrid paid €46 million to secure his signature. He was officially unveiled at the club in July 2018 and made history on his Real Madrid debut against Atletico Madrid two months later:

The teenager scored four goals in 31 appearances in his first season in the Spanish capital but did seem to struggle at times with the pressure and expectation that accompanies a big price tag at a young age.

He has also had his critics this season and has frustrated supporters because of a lack of end product, per football writer Dermot Corrigan:

Vinicius has only managed four goals in 2019-20, and while there's no doubting his dribbling ability and skill on the ball, his finishing has let him down.

Yet he has scored important goals this season, notably in the 2-0 Clasico win over Barcelona at the start of March:

Vinicius has had a growing influence on Real Madrid this season and has the talent to develop into a potent attacker for Los Blancos if he can add goals to his game.