Vinícius Júnior
Vinícius José Paixão de Oliveira Júnior (born 12 July 2000), commonly known as Vinícius Júnior or Vini Jr. (Brazilian Portuguese: [viˈnisjuz ˈʒũɲoʁ]), is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a winger for La Liga club Real Madrid and the Brazil national team. Considered one of the best players in the world, he is known for his speed, strong dribbling ability, and playmaking skills.
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Vinícius in 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Vinícius José Paixão de Oliveira Júnior | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 12 July 2000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | São Gonçalo, Brazil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Real Madrid | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2017 | Flamengo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Flamengo | 50 | (11) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | Real Madrid B | 5 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018– | Real Madrid | 165 | (41) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Brazil U15 | 10 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Brazil U17 | 19 | (17) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Brazil U20 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019– | Brazil | 26 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:26, 10 February 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 16:08, 17 November 2023 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born in São Gonçalo, Vinícius began his professional career at Flamengo, where he made his senior debut in 2017, at age 16. A few weeks later, Vinícius was the subject of a transfer to La Liga club Real Madrid, for whom he signed for in a £38 million deal, which was a national record for an U-18 player. The transfer was made effective after his 18th birthday, with Vinícius debuting for the club in 2018–19. By his fourth season, Vinícius had established himself as a prominent member in Real Madrid's squad, helping the club win the 2021–22 La Liga title and scoring the winning goal in Real Madrid's 2022 UEFA Champions League final win.
At his youth stage for Brazil, he was a key player in the victory at the 2015 South American U-15 Championship and 2017 South American U-17 Championship, finishing as leading goalscorer in the latter competition. He made his senior debut in 2021 and helped his nation to a runner-up finish at the 2021 Copa América and represented them at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.