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What's the story?
According to Spanish media outlet AS, Real Madrid youngster Junior had a pre-agreement with FC Barcelona when he was 16 but an intervention by Real Madrid changed the story as Los Blancos managed to secure the services of the teenager.
In case you didn't know...
At just 18, Vinicius Jr. has already broken into the first team of Real Madrid. Despite not being a starter under former boss Julen Lopetegui, Vinicius featured strongly under Santiago Solari. He has proven to be an asset for Los Blancos, as he has helped them win seven of their last nine games.
It is rare for a player of his age to win over the Santiago Bernabeu crowd but Vinicius Junior has managed to do just that. He has scored two goals in the La Liga and Copa Del Rey each while providing six assists in the Copa Del Rey alone. As a result of his good performances, Vinicius Jr. left with a standing ovation when he was substituted in the last match against Alaves.
Vinicius has a chance to feature in the 'El Clasico' at Nou Camp and he will look to use this opportunity to cement his place in the starting line-up with a powerful performance.
The heart of the matter
The 18-year-old Brazillian sensation had a pre-contract agreement with Real Madrid's arch-rivals, FC Barcelona when he was 16 but a stunning move from Real Madrid made Vinicius Jr. choose the Madrid-based club.
According to the report, the transfer saga began in 2017, in which the agents of two players negotiated in parallel in Barcelona and Real Madrid.
"The economic proposal of Barcelona, in terms of Vinicius' salary, was higher, " Frederico Pena, one of Vinicius' agents of TFM agency, would later say in Globoesporte.
"We had already reached an agreement with Madrid and we did not want to give that last pull with Barcelona to match," Pena added. "There is always the impression that the player chose Madrid for a financial issue but it is not true, Vinicius liked the Madrid project betterand his position was better."
What's next?
Real Madrid will turn their focus on the Copa Del Rey as they face FC Barcelona tonight in the semifinal. They will also face Atletico Madrid in La Liga next, before turning their sights on Ajax in the Champions League.
Vincius Jr. will try to maintain his sensational form as he continues to improve day by day with Los Blancos.
