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Real Madrid ace Vinicius Junior has hailed his compatriot and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar Neymar as his idol.
Vinicius Junior is steadily emerging as a regular in the Brazilian national football team. The winger has enjoyed an excellent start to the 2022-23 campaign (five goals and four assists in nine matches) and was included in Brazil's starting XI against Ghana (September 24).
Skipper Neymar was also a part of the playing XI and put on a stellar show. The PSG man pitched in with a pair of assists as Brazil cruised to a 3-0 win in their penultimate game before the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
On Monday (September 26), Vinicius Junior took to Twitter to express his appreciation for the former Barcelona man. He shared a picture from their most recent appearance together, alongside a heartwarming caption.
It read (translated to English):
“Dream and do! 😍 my idol @neymarjr 🤍”
Vinicius has thus far featured in 15 games for his national team, scoring once. The PSG ace, on the other hand, has played a whopping 120 matches for his country, pitching in with 74 goals and 55 assists. The PSG no. 10 is currently the second-leading goalscorer for his country, behind Pele (77 goals).
PSG’s Neymar has defended Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior amid celebration controversy
Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior has been racially abused in the aftermath of his recent celebrations. Vinicius has been dancing to express his joy, which hasn’t sat well with a section of the fans, with many taking the shameful route of racial abuse to discourage him. Neymar has emerged as one of Vinicius' fiercest allies in his battle against his abusers.
Recently, the Brazilian captain encouraged his young teammate to keep dancing, even pledging to join in his celebration the next time he scored. He wrote on Instagram (via Managing Madrid):
“Dribble, dance and be yourself, happy to be who you are! Go for the top, my friend, we will dance on your next goal”
The no. 10 also made a short post on Twitter to encourage Vinicius to keep dancing. The Real Madrid ace responded to his captain’s message by sharing a picture of them dancing together, with the caption “Always,” on Twitter (September 16).
