To establish a comparison between Vinicius Junior and Paco Gento is to take things too far, because the 'Galerna del Cantábrico' or the 'Bala blanca' has been the best left winger of all time, winner of six European Cups -more than anyone- and 12 Leagues, and the Brazilian, right-handed, is only one A project of a great footballer, who excites and disappoints in equal parts due to his speed and his lack of aim.
But Gento's beginnings at Real Madrid weren't exactly easy. Quite the opposite. Gento came to the white club in 1953, about to turn 20, and was about to be transferred after his first season, Accused by almost all journalism of running wildly and of lack of definition and even dexterity with the ball, two issues that have not stopped being reproached to Vinicius in his already three campaigns in Madrid. On the Brazilian, a supersonic agitator like Gento, although without his famous pause, also gravitates the idea of his difficulty in finishing his plays with goals, which has so far prevented him from sustaining himself as a starter at Real Madrid and has led him to be permanently at the center of the debate, with supporters and detractors alike.
At 20, Vinicius now lives hours of happiness and recognition, after his exhibition in front of Atalanta – “I know that I can be one of the best in Madrid. I am young and I am very happy. I am a player who has a great personality. I fail and the next time I always go again” – but nobody escapes that the winger does He is no longer in the examination period and that he has gone through moments of despondency and even football withdrawal with Zidane.
Nobody knows the roof of Vinicius, still explosion and power without control. That is why it is good to rescue now some statements by Gento from 1956, weeks before playing and winning his first European Cup against Stade Reims, when he was already a figure in Madrid and international with Spain: “The first season at Real Madrid was a continuous suffering for me. People would scold me in all the games, they messed with me and, as much as I tried to outdo myself, everything turned out the other way around because of my nerves. Time passed. and I didn't improve, but I never gave up. Morale and confidence are everything in football. People got tired of yelling at me and without worrying about the whistles, I ended up getting better. I did it thanks to some great teammates and the confidence in my possibilities. Losing the fear of the public and the criticism is essential for a young player who starts at Real Madrid “.
Perhaps Atalanta's game marks a before and after in Vinicius' career at Real Madrid.