Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr. spoke in an exclusive interview with CNN about the new season, his partnership with Kylian Mbappe, his ambitions to win the Ballon d’Or and more. Speaking about the latter and the influence some of the former Brazilian legends have on him, Vinicius said: “I have Kaká as an example, I have Ronaldo who won the award twice, I have Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, many Brazilian players who have won the Ballon d’Or. But without a doubt Ronaldo and Ronaldinho are the ones I am closest to and who tell me every day that I have to win the Ballon d’Or.”
Vinicius Jr. on the feeling of being a Real Madrid player
“I’ve always dreamed of playing for Real Madrid, so I enjoy every moment as if it were the last. Everyone wants to win for the best team in the world, to play with the best, to score so many goals in so many finals and to be able to help so much… I’m only 24 years old and I want to carry on like this for much longer and make history in this great team I play for today. Not everyone gets that chance, so I enjoy every moment in this shirt.”
Vinicius Jr. on winning the treble
“The Copa del Rey always stops us from winning the treble because we play against very strong teams in January, which is the period when we play the most games. So the cup competition makes things a little more complicated. First comes the Champions League, which is the most difficult competition – followed by La Liga and then the Copa. Every competition has its own pressure – the pressure in the Champions League is so great because Real Madrid always want to win there. And not only the players, but also the fans demand that of us, to win this competition. Our goal now is to try to win everything we take part in and finally win the treble.”
Vinicius Jr. on training with Ronaldo Nazario
“I was just with Ronaldo when I was in Ibiza, training at his house. He said to me: ‘Train here for a few more days and you’ll be closer to the Ballon d’Or.’ These are players who have done incredible things. To be able to fight for the Ballon d’Or and win an award that they have won would be something truly incredible.”
Vinicius Jr. on his future at the club
“I always play to be among the best and every day that passes at Real Madrid I feel more confident. I have already won two Champions Leagues and I play with others who have already won six – Carvajal has also won six and they motivate us every day to play beyond our limits and to believe that with the team we have now, anything is possible. We have already come this far, it was really hard. But staying at the highest level is much more difficult, so I want to stay at this level for a long time and win as many Champions Leagues as Carvajal, Modrić, Nacho and Toni Kroos, who have won six. We could have one of the best teams in the next decade and now we have to show on the pitch that we can perform. And me and my teammates can get closer to the goal of bringing more titles to Real Madrid with every game we play.”
Vinicius Jr. on the new Real Madrid team
“The team is very good and has been for a long time. Now, with the arrival of Mbappé, everyone says the team can become unstoppable, but for now we have to do the best training sessions and try to understand each other as quickly as possible.”
Vinicius Jr. on Mbappé’s playing style
“I love Mbappé’s style, I love his way of playing and I’m really excited to see what we can achieve this season. He comes after scoring so many goals and winning so many titles. He comes to the club he always wanted to be at and every player always wanted to play for: Real Madrid. God willing, Mbappé will be able to score as many goals for us as he did for his previous team, as he did for the national team and together with us he can achieve even more.”
Vinicius Jr. about Marta
“I have to talk about Marta, the greatest player who has ever played in women’s football. I have a lot of affection for her because I believe she changed the sport and brought women’s football to the level it deserves. Women’s football is growing day by day and Marta was one of the pioneers. Marta is to us what Pelé was to everyone in Brazil, like Ayrton Senna, she comes from a level where there is only one person in a million.”
