Real Madrid superstar VinĆcius Jr. is aiming for a historic season, revealing in an exclusive interview that he believes Los Blancos have the potential to achieve a historic treble. The Brazilian forward also expressed his desire to follow in the footsteps of his Brazilian idols by winning the Ballon dāOr.
In a conversation at his Madrid home, VinĆcius expressed confidence in Real Madrid’s chances of excelling across all major competitions this season as they prepare to defend their Champions League title.
āEvery year, our goal is to win every title we can,ā VinĆcius stated, reflecting on the club’s ambitions before their sixth European Super Cup victory against Atalanta.
Could Madrid Achieve Their First-Ever Treble?
Despite its numerous successes, Real Madrid has never achieved a European treble, comprising the Champions League, La Liga, and Copa del Rey. FC Barcelona remains the only Spanish club to have accomplished this feat, doing so in 2009 and 2015.
VinĆcius Jr. explained why the treble has proven elusive, noting, āThe Copa del Rey often disrupts our chances because it involves challenging teams throughout January, a period packed with games. This makes the cup competition particularly tricky.ā While VinĆcius emphasized that winning the club’s 16th Champions League is the squadās top priority, he is also driven by the desire to āfinally secure the treble.ā
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āThe Champions League is the most challenging and prestigious competition, and itās where Real Madrid always aims to excel,ā he said. āOur fans expect us to win it, and so our focus is on achieving success in every competition we enter, with the ultimate goal of securing the treble.ā
To truly grasp VinĆcius Jr.’s impact over the past season, one needs to look at the numbers. His 15 league goals played a pivotal role in securing another Spanish title for Real Madrid. Additionally, his decisive goal in the Champions League final helped clinch Madrid’s second title in three years with a 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley.
āIāve always dreamed of playing for Real Madrid, so I cherish every moment as if it were the last,ā VinĆcius said. āEveryone wants to win with the best team in the world, and being able to score so many goals in important matches and contribute so significantlyā¦ Iām only 24, and I aim to continue this way for many more years, making history with this incredible team. Not everyone gets this opportunity, so I emphasize savoring every moment in this jersey.ā
Despite missing two months of the 2023/24 season from November to January, VinĆcius ended the campaign as Madridās top scorer, with 24 goals and 11 assists.
Dreams of Gold
With his ability to deliver in crucial moments and impressive statistics throughout the season for one of the worldās top clubs, itās no surprise that VinĆcius Jr. is the favorite to win this yearās Ballon dāOr, awarded to the best player in the world.
For VinĆcius, claiming the award represents more than just personal achievement; itās about honoring his Brazilian heritage and joining the ranks of his countryās greatest soccer stars. He aims to follow in the footsteps of legends like Marta, Ronaldo NazĆ”rio, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, and KakĆ”, all of whom have been recognized as the best in the world at various points in their careers.
āMarta is a true icon in womenās football. I deeply admire her for elevating the sport and making womenās football as respected as it deserves to be. Sheās a pioneer, much like PelĆ© and Ayrton Senna are to Brazil,ā VinĆcius said.
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He added, āFor the menās game, KakĆ”, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Rivaldo are my role models. Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, in particular, are close to me and consistently encourage me to strive for the Ballon dāOr.ā
VinĆcius also shared that he has recently spent time training with Ronaldo NazĆ”rio, receiving personal guidance from the legendary forward.
āI recently trained at Ronaldoās house in Ibiza, and he advised me, āSpend a few more days training here, and youāll be closer to winning the Ballon dāOr.ā These are players who have achieved extraordinary things, and competing for the Ballon dāOr and winning an award that they have won would be truly incredible.ā
The New GalƔcticos Era
Teammates Jude Bellingham and the newly signed Kylian MbappĆ© will be VinĆcius Jr.ās primary rivals for the Ballon dāOr in October, as this latest version of Real Madrid boasts exceptional talent across the board.
Despite MbappĆ© being a key contender for footballās top honor, VinĆcius is thrilled to have the former PSG star join the Spanish giants. āThe team has been very strong for a long time,ā he said.
āWith MbappĆ©ās arrival, people are talking about the potential for us to become unstoppable, but for now, we need to focus on having great training sessions and quickly building our understanding on the field.ā
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VinĆcius, who has long admired MbappĆ© from afar, is excited about playing alongside the World Cup winner. He expressed his admiration for MbappĆ©ās style and achievements, saying, āI love how he plays and Iām really looking forward to what we can achieve this season. Heās joining us after scoring many goals and winning numerous titles, and heās coming to the club he has always dreamed of playing forāReal Madrid.ā
āGod willing, MbappĆ© will score as many goals for us as he did with his previous team and the national team, and hopefully even more with us,ā VinĆcius said.
While VinĆcius assisted on the opening goal and MbappĆ© scored in his official debut for Los Blancos during a 2-0 UEFA Super Cup victory, Madrid stumbled in their La Liga opener against a determined Mallorca side, settling for a 1-1 draw away from home. This result highlighted the need for the team to develop better cohesion before reaching their peak performance.
Despite the setback in Son Moix and experiencing some early struggles in their home opener against Real Valladolidāwhere they eventually secured a 3-0 wināthe stage is set for what promises to be an exceptionally successful season for Madrid.
Focused on Achieving Success with Madrid
Recently, there have been rumors suggesting that VinĆcius Jr. was offered an astonishing $1 billion to move to Saudi Arabia, similar to speculation about his new teammate MbappĆ© in July 2023.
Despite the buzz, the Brazilian star made his future intentions clear: āI always strive to be among the best, and with each passing day at Real Madrid, I grow more confident.ā
āIāve already won two Champions Leagues, and I play alongside teammates who have each won six titlesālike Dani Carvajal. Their experience motivates us daily to push beyond our limits andshows that anything is possible with our current team shows that anything is possible with our current team.
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Achieving two Champions League victories in three years was incredibly challenging. Staying at the top level is even harder, so my goal is to maintain this level of performance for a long time and win as many Champions League titles as Carvajal, Luka ModriÄ, Nacho, and Toni Kroos, who have each won six.
We might have one of the best teams for the coming decade, and now itās up to us to demonstrate our capability on the pitch. With each game, my teammates and I are working towards winning even more titles for Real Madrid.ā