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Vini Jr Matches Ronaldo’s Real Madrid Record
Vinicius Junior equalled Ronaldo Nazario’s record of 104 goals at Real Madrid in a 2-1 loss to Valencia.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Vinicius scored in the 50th minute of Los Blancos’ La Liga clash with Los Che at the Santiago Bernabeu despite missing a penalty kick earlier in the match. This goal marked his 104th for the club, making him Real Madrid’s joint-top Brazilian scorer alongside Ronaldo. It took Ronaldo only 177 matches to achieve this feat, whereas Vinicius required 303 appearances. Before the game, Vinicius had scored 19 times in 43 appearances across competitions this season.
The Brazilian winger’s goal briefly brought Madrid level at 1-1 after Valencia initially led 1-0. However, Hugo Duro’s injury-time winner for Valencia ensured Real Madrid’s defeat, leaving them unable to salvage a point. This brings Valencia 7 points ahead of the 18th place Leganes which is the first team in La Liga to get relegated as things stand.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Carlo Ancelotti’s men missed an opportunity to close the gap on Barcelona in the La Liga title race. Real Madrid are now four points behind their arch-rivals, who lead the league with 67 points from 30 matches, even though the Catalans were held to a draw against Betis. Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid, having won their match against Sevilla, are now just 3 points behind Real Madrid and will try to keep reducing the distance to Los Blancos.
WHAT VINICIUS JUNIOR SAID
After the match, Vinicius expressed mixed emotions about achieving this milestone amidst a disappointing result. He told the club’s official website, “I haven’t had time to enjoy it yet because we lost the game. It’s a very important personal milestone. (Ronaldo) is my idol, and we spoke about this moment early in the season when he came to visit us to see my progress here. He’s my great idol, and being up there with great players like him is a very important personal achievement.”
He added, “I came here when I was 18, following in the footsteps of idols like Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos. I got another piece of advice from Zinedine Zidane when he told me that I had to enjoy playing at this club, enjoy making history, and being close to making it happen. It will spur me on to keep working hard and to keep winning here in the big games against great teams. I have to keep working so that the stats continue to improve.”
WHAT NEXT FOR REAL MADRID?
The reigning European champions will face Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie midweek at the Emirates Stadium, as they seek to bounce back from their La Liga setback and secure a strong performance in Europe. Real Madrid are 2nd in La Liga, but will aim at chasing the title in the Champions League and the Copa del Rey, where they will play Barcelona for the title.
