Vinicius Junior: Biography of a Football Player

Vinicius José Paixão de Oliveira Junior is a Brazilian footballer, left winger for Spanish club Real Madrid and the Brazil national team, one of the best in the world right now. In 2015 and 2017, he won the South American Youth Championship as part of the youth national team. Participant of the 2022 World Cup and the 2021 Copa America. By the age of 24, he has won the Spanish championship and the UEFA Super Cup three times, won the Club World Cup twice and received more than 10 individual awards, including being repeatedly recognized as the best player in the UEFA Champions League. He is in the TOP-3 of the Champions League in goals and assists, is the most productive winger of the “creamy” and surpassed Messi’s record for scoring in the Champions League finals. His efficiency rate on the field last season is higher than Mbappe, Lewandowski and Haaland.

The transfer of the young prodigy in 2018 cost Real 45 million euros, which put the deal at the top of the ranking of the most expensive players under 19. It must be said that the Madrid club did not lose. Since then, the Brazilian talent has become the main headliner of more than one decisive match, and his crazy speed and dribbling have served the team well, significantly strengthening its attacking potential. However, apart from impressive results, Junior is loved by fans for his open character and subtle sense of humor. He does not have a star fever and a crown on his head.

Vinicius Junior turns every goal celebration into a small show, copying the triumphant poses and signature gestures of such sports legends as Cristiano Ronaldo or Jaylen Brown. In this way, he not only pays tribute to his idols, but also creates his own unique image that is remembered by fans and becomes part of football culture. Let’s see how the biography of Vinicius Junior is developing and what other interesting things it conceals.

Early years and early career

Vinicius Junior’s biography is barely touched upon in memoirs, it is full of gaps and omissions. But even the information that is known to the public is enough to understand that his path could have ended before it began. This is the story of a boy from the Brazilian favelas who rose from the very bottom.

The future footballer was born on July 12, 2000 and grew up in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro in Sao Gonçalo, an area with a criminal reputation and constant shootouts by the Red Team gang. The eldest child in the family of Vinicius José Paixão de Oliveira and Fernanda, he was raised in modest conditions with two brothers, Netinho and Bernardinho. Later, such a depressing environment stimulated the boy’s desire to move early. His father, seeing his son’s passion for football from the cradle, became his most devoted fan, first coach and motivator.

At the age of six, thanks to the efforts of local scouts, the boy got into the Flamengo academy. At that time, the family was barely making ends meet, but for the sake of their son’s football dream, Vinicius Junior’s parents were ready to do anything, even send him to Abolisao to his uncle Ulisses to shorten the distance to the headquarters of the youth team of the Brazilian football club Flamengo. Poverty did not allow them to pay for their education in full, but the talent of the active young man spoke for itself. The director of the institution, Carlos Abrantes, having spotted a future star in the boy, took on all the expenses and in 2005 opened the doors to the world of big football for him. And Junior, in turn, repaid him a hundredfold, demonstrating incredible skills on the field and gradually becoming the youngest talent of the team. Small, but surprisingly technical and unattainably fast, he always stood out among his peers, easily beating even older and more experienced opponents.

Club achievements

Having started with futsal and having collected an arsenal of titles in this field, in 2010 the nugget began to defend the honor of FC Flamengo in junior competitions. In 2017, having celebrated his 16th birthday, he began his professional career, debuting for the club in a match of the Brazilian Serie A against Atletico Mineiro.

The start was so successful that a few weeks later Vinicius donned the colours of the main club of La Liga, joining Real Madrid, with whom he signed a contract for 38 million pounds sterling, a record sum for an U-18 player. The transfer was completed after his 18th birthday, and already in the 2018/19 season the wing forward from Brazil played for the Blancos. Over the following years, Junior:

• established himself in the main caste of “galacticos”, becoming its important support;
• helped the club win two La Liga and Champions League doubles, capping the triumph with goals in the 2022 and 2024 finals;
• In the 2023/24 season, he was named the best footballer according to the results of the Champions League.

Let’s remember January 14, 2024 separately. That day, the younger Vinicius blew up the stands of the stadium “Mrsul Park” in the culminating skirmish of the Spanish Super Cup, scoring a hat-trick against “Barcelona”, simultaneously winning the championship. It is curious that at the beginning of his career, the promising playmaker in attack could have joined the ranks of the Catalan club, but the bosses of the latter were scared off by the too high amount of compensation for “a minor and still poorly tested player in the European arena”. Probably, now their elbows rest in the museum of pain from bites, because to miss such a pearl is a real tragedy.

Today, having settled in Real, Vinicius Junior emphasizes his Brazilian nationality with every elegant goal, but he has not given up his Spanish passport. Citizenship on the Iberian Peninsula allows him to participate in the local regional championships with the “royal” club, while maintaining a place in the national team of his native country. He escaped poverty and gave a happy life to his family, and his name sounds like a household word for the brightest and most talented footballers of our time.

General facts and physical data

Vinicius Junior is a Cancer, just like his teammate Jude Bellingham. His football role models include Ronaldo, Pele and Cristiano Ronaldo. Junior is also an avid fan of boxing and basketball, so he also draws inspiration from greats like Muhammad Ali, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Michael Jordan. He even has a full-back tattoo of some of them:

“They are my biggest motivation. Amazing athletes and amazing people. The tattoo also includes a portrait of my father, who has become my main hero,” the Real Madrid winger shares.

As for anthropometric characteristics, according to official sources, Vinicius Junior’s height is 1.76 m. There are other figures, but the difference is minimal and is most likely due to rounding or measurement methods. Vinicius Junior’s weight does not exceed 73 kilograms, and his physique is characterized by athleticism, allowing him to maintain high speed and maneuverability on the field.

These parameters, along with brilliant technical skills, make the Brazilian one of the most dangerous players on the flank, capable of beating defenders and creating scoring chances even under tight marking. It is not for nothing that Vinicius Junior’s position is left forward, although he is more of a playmaker, that is, an initiator of attacks, excellent at opening up the opponent’s defense.

What lies at the core of Vinicius’ spiritual worldview

The footballer does not advertise his faith in public appearances and private interviews. However, his background and cultural environment point to Catholic roots.

In Brazil, no less than 64% of the population belongs to the Christian denomination headed by the Pope. At the same time, English-language publications mention that the Real Madrid forward “comes from a poor Catholic family,” which clearly hints at Vinicius Junior’s religion. Meanwhile, one of his tattoos is dedicated to God, so there is no doubt.

Personal life

Vinicius Junior is something of a black hole in the world of gossip columns. He absorbs all the attention of fans on the pitch, but becomes virtually invisible once he leaves it. His Instagram is more of a football archive and a platform for advertising integrations than a personal diary that gives rise to gossip. No hints of a romantic relationship, no pretentious selfies. But there are plenty of moments there that tell of his devotion to the team and his family.

However, it is known that the Real Madrid player’s heart was once not free. In 2019, rumors began to circulate about his relationship with Brazilian model and influencer Maria Mazali. The couple flashed in the journalists’ field of vision every now and then, but did not make any loud statements. In 2021, Maria announced her separation from the forward, ending a two-year story.

After the breakup with Mazali, it seemed that Vinicius decided to focus exclusively on his career. But no, soon a new passion appeared – a certain Kenya Os. A girl with ambitions, a blogger, a singer. In general, a bright personality.

It is also known from the published biography of Vinicius Junior that he deeply respects family ties and traditions. The star spends most of his free time with his family and friends, preferring to organize cozy leisure time with his parents, brothers and uncle.