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Barcelona went very close to signing Vinicius Jr from Brazilian outfit Flamengo but the attacker ended up joining Real Madrid instead in 2018. During an interview with Cadena SER, the winger explained why he snubbed the Catalan giants to link up with their arch-rivals.
According to Vinicius Jr, Real Madrid offered a better project than Barcelona, which convinced him to choose the Spanish giants over the Blaugrana. He also added that he's a long-term admirer of Los Blancos and superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo, who ran riot during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu.
He explained:
"Barcelona and Real Madrid tried to sign me but I chose Real Madrid because of the project they offered. I always loved the club and players like Cristiano Ronaldo and others."
The Real Madrid winger also commented on the recent developments at Barcelona, with Xavi Hernandez appointed as manager following the sacking of Ronald Koeman. The attacker believes the Blaugrana will become a better team under the Spaniard. He was quoted as saying:
“I think they will improve with Xavi but I can’t talk about other teams, I’m focused on Madrid."
Vinicius Jr has been a huge force to be reckoned with this season, having bagged 10 goals and seven assists for the Spanish giants in 17 games so far. The Brazilian explained what is behind his spectacular form and said:
"Having minutes is important for many players. Now, I’m more ready to get more minutes and I don’t know if I was this ready before. I’m hoping to help Real Madrid for many years to come, I came here to learn and improve and I am still doing that and I will keep doing it until my last day here."
How Barcelona and Real Madrid are doing this season
Barcelona endured a shaky start to the season under Ronald Koeman. But the Blaugrana look set to bounce back after parting ways with the Dutchman and replacing him with Xavi Hernandez.
They've moved into seventh spot in the Liga table and only need a victory against Benfica to qualify for the Champions League knockout stage.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, have made a decent start to the campaign. Los Blancos are leading the La Liga table at the moment and are well-poised to qualify for the next phase of the UCL. Carlo Ancelotti's men top the table in Group D with nine points from four games - needing only one victory to seal their qualification.
