“But I never believed it” - Real Madrid ace Vinicius Jr reveals advice Cristiano Ronaldo gave him

Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr has opened up on a crucial piece of advice he received from club legend Cristiano Ronaldo – one that significantly shaped his development and confidence on the pitch, particularly in front of goal.

Vinicius joined Los Blancos from Flamengo in 2018 and he has slowly but steadily established himself as one of the best in the world at the Spanish capital. In a recent interview with DAZN, the 24-year-old reflected on the guidance he received throughout his career. Notably, he revealed a piece of advice from Cristiano Ronaldo that initially seemed difficult to believe but ultimately changed his approach to goal-scoring.

He said:

"About the advice, my coaches have always told me to follow my personality. I might end up making a lot of mistakes in the game but I have to keep trying, to speed up, always telling myself that I have to keep trying. At some point the opponent will get tired and I will be able to help the team.

Vinicius added:

"I also always remember the advice Ronaldo gave me. He always told me that scoring a goal was very easy but I never believed it. But then I thought about it and it gave me tranquillity in match. All the experience he had really rubbed off on me. He said when it comes to one-on-one with the goalkeeper it is the easiest moment of the game. As time goes by it has confirmed this for me too and makes my finishing so much easier."

While Vinicius has consistently picked Cristiano Ronaldo as his GOAT, he never got the opportunity to play with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner at Real Madrid. Sadly, Vinicius moved to Los Blancos the same summer that Ronaldo left the club. To date, Vinicius has scored 106 goals and provided 86 assists in 320 appearances across competitions for Real Madrid.

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“But I’m playing with many other world champions” – When Vinicius admitted Cristiano Ronaldo regret at Real Madrid

A few months after Vinicius joined Real Madrid, he expressed his excitement at joining the club but admitted he would have liked to play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. Speaking after a friendly match against Chile while representing the Brazil U20 team, he spoke about his move to Madrid. He told reporters (via Sportsmole):

"There's nothing better than debuting at the Bernabeu against Atletico Madrid. I'm very happy with the group because we're a very good one. I'll come back better after this international break. I'd like to have played with Cristiano Ronaldo, but I'm playing with many other world champions so I don't have to talk about him anymore."

Cristiano Ronaldo left Madrid in 2018 for Juventus as the club’s highest goal scorer.