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Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior has named Chelsea defender Reece James as one of the two toughest opponents he has faced.
The Brazilian has established himself as one of the world's premier wingers, having scored the winning goal in last season's UEFA Champions League final. Vinicius has scored eight times and provided five assists in 17 appearances in all competitions this term and will be hopeful of playing a crucial part in Brazil's FIFA World Cup campaign.
During Real Madrid's Champions League winning run last season, they faced Chelsea in the quarterfinals and were on the brink of elimination. Reece James played that night and did a superb job of keeping the Brazilian winger quiet, which prompted rumors that Los Blancos were interested in the right-back.
Vinicius faced Manchester City in the semifinals, where he came up against James' fellow England right-back Kyle Walker. The two defenders are famed for their electric pace. Vinicus was asked by Sport Bible who his toughest opponent has been, to which the Brazilian replied:
"I've played against a lot of them and the most difficult opponents were Chelsea's [Reece] James and [Kyle] Walker of Manchester City."
Thierry Henry believes Chelsea are about to sign star who scored against Real Madrid
Real Madrid suffered their first defeat of the season as they fell to a 3-2 loss at RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday (25 October). Defender Josko Gvardiol opened the scoring for the German side.
The young Croatian has been consistently linked with a move to the Blues and Henry believes they will sign the defensive wonderkid. The Premier League Hall of Famer told CBS Sports (as per The Chelsea Chronicle):
“It’s a rare breed to have a center-back with a left foot. Everybody looks for that. If you want to play, then you get a better outlet if the guy is left-footed to direct both ways.
“What I like is, and you have to give credit to Croatia and Dinamo Zagreb. They produce players at will. He’s strong. An eye for a pass. Chelsea wants him and I can name a lot of teams."
Henry added:
“He’s good at defending and he’s good in the air on set-pieces, but more importantly, if you are a left-footed center-back, then suddenly people come for you.”
Gvardiol will not be cheap for the west London club to sign, having only recently signed a contract to stay at Leipzig until 2027.
