Vinicius Junior Joins Real Madrid Legends Ronaldo, Benzema, and Puskas in Exclusive Historic Club
Vinicius Junior keeps solidifying his status as a Real Madrid legend, achieving 16 goal contributions in finals for Los Blancos to match the record held by absolute icons of the sport in the club's history.
Real Madrid suffered a devastating 3–2 defeat to arch-rivals Barcelona in Sunday evening's Spanish Super Cup final. Despite the agonizing setback, Real Madrid fought valiantly and had they secured victory in the final, much credit would have belonged to Vinicius Jr's exceptional display.
As Los Blancos appeared close to falling two goals behind, the Brazilian emerged and delivered a spectacular moment of brilliance on the left flank. Vinicius Jr humiliated Jules Koundé, executing a nutmeg before effortlessly bypassing Pau Cubarsí within the box to unleash an unstoppable shot into the bottom corner, equalizing for Real Madrid in the final.
However, the stunning individual effort carried greater importance, as it marked Vinicius Jr's 16th goal contribution in finals for Real Madrid, matching the standard established by club icons Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Ferenc Puskás.
Since Vinicius Jr netted the decisive goal for Real Madrid in the 2021–22 Champions League final, he's emerged as a crucial game-changer in the 15 finals he's featured in for the world's most prestigious club. Achieving this milestone at merely 25 years old makes it even more remarkable.
Xabi Alonso Gives Telling Verdict on Vinicius Junior's Super Cup Final Performance
Vinicius Jr approached Sunday's Super Cup final amid a terrible 16-match scoring drought for Real Madrid, with his latest goal for Los Blancos occurring on Oct. 4. But with Kylian Mbappé sidelined due to injury, the Brazilian returned to his elite form, rising to the occasion and receiving significant acclaim from coach Xabi Alonso.
"He [Vinicius Jr] delivered an excellent performance," Alonso commented following the final, via AS. "Extremely threatening. The goal was exceptional and he caused considerable problems on the left side.
"The squad worked tirelessly, we demonstrated resilience, but it wasn't meant to be tonight."
Alonso surprisingly withdrew the Brazilian in the final moments of the match, sparking criticism from Madridistas who were stunned their standout performer was being removed. Alonso subsequently explained he only substituted Vinicius Jr because the player requested to leave the field, completely drained after causing chaos throughout the game.
The loss to Barcelona is undoubtedly a crushing disappointment for Real Madrid. Nevertheless, Vinicius Jr's display represents a significant bright spot from the final, as he again demonstrated he's among the world's elite players when performing at his peak, continuing to produce for Los Blancos on the grandest stages—something that could prove crucial as the season reaches its conclusion.