Vinicius, before his past

Vinicius faces Atlético de Madrid again, the rival against whom he made his debut in an official match with the first team. It was on September 29, 2018 when Lopetegui gave him the opportunity to make his debut in a special match, nothing less than a derby. The Brazilian only played three minutes. Four years later, he faces the rojiblancos once again, consecrated as a star and with a debt to settle with himself: he has not yet been able to score a goal in the seven derbies he has played. Of the eleven rivals he has faced at least six times, they still resist him. Come on four teams: Athletic (nine games), Villarreal (eight) and Betis (six). Against the Verdiblancos, he will have the opportunity to get even on the last day.

The carioca has only missed one derby since his debut: that of the following season at the Wanda Metropolitano, where Zidane did not give him any time. Vinicius barely knows what it’s like to be defeated at the hands of the capital’s great rival. Atlético beat the madridistas in the 2018 European Super Cup, with Come on on the bench. Since then, the Brazilian has experienced four white victories and another four draws (one of them was not played) in the League and the Madrid victory in the final of the 2020 Spanish Super Cupthe second of the five titles he has won with Real Madrid.

Although he has not yet scored against Atlético, this Vinicius is another. This season he has become the undisputed starter and uncovered as a scorer. He has 18 goals and 15 assists in all competitions, including 14 goals and 9 assists in the league. He is the fifth highest scorer in the championship and the second in most goals he participates in, only behind his teammate Benzema (26 goals and 11 assists for the Frenchman in the league tournament).

Artificial intelligence also shows the great campaign of the Brazilian. His actions have generated a value of 18.22 goals in favor, according to Olocip, well ahead of Benzema (12.69 value) and Juanmi (12.38), second and third. In the major European leagues, only Mbappé (21.41) and Martin Terrier (18.96), from Rennes, provide greater value to their teams. The construction of the game and the driving are the sections where Vinicius stands out the most. In fact, according to data from the Beyond Stats project of LaLiga with Microsoft, the Brazilian from Madrid is the player in the League whose driving generates the most shots. This Sunday Vinicius has the opportunity to put a cherry on top of his season and debut his locker in the derbies.