Vinicius Junior announced his wish to stay at Real Madrid “forever” after being voted as man of the match on Wednesday. Los Blancos defeated Chelsea by 2-0 in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final.
During his five years at the Santiago Bernabeu, the 22-year-old has established himself as a significant player. Moreover, at the moment, the Brazilian is largely considered as one of the best wingers in the world.
Vinicius is having one of his biggest seasons in terms of scoring, with 21 goals in 45 appearances across all competitions.
However, against Chelsea, the Brazilian’s playmaker talents were required, as he set up both of Real Madrid’s goals, scored by Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio – his 15th and 16th assists of the season – to enable the holders establish a two-goal first-leg advantage.
Vinicius has now been directly involved in 20 goals in his previous 20 Champions League outings, scoring 10 times and providing 10 assists, and the winger has spoken about his desire to be in peak shape for Europe’s elite club competition’s “special” games.
Vinicius comments after Real Madrid 2-0 win over Chelsea
Speaking to reporters after the match, Vinicius said:
“Every player who pulls on this jersey know that playing in the Champions League is special at this club, especially at the Bernabeu when the fans get right up for it. At Madrid, you have to play with that desire in the Champions League.”
“I train with [Antonio] Pintus (fitness coach) and then at home with my personal trainer so I’m in the best possible shape for these games. At this stage of the season, other players tend to dip a bit and I always try and increase my levels.”
Vinicius added:
“We played very well (against Chelsea), we pressured well and played as well as we did last season.”
“It was one of the best games of the season so far and it’s great to win at home. Now it’s time to think about the second leg and remember that we have to keep a level head.”
Vinicius, who has just over a year left on his contract, claimed in a separate interview for Spanish news site El Partidazo de COPE that he wants to spend his entire career at Real Madrid.
“I’d love to stay at Real Madrid forever. This is the best club in the world. To play in the Champions League is something special,”
said Vinicius as quoted by journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Real Madrid are in a strong position to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the fourth year in a row, but manager Carlo Ancelotti insists that there is still work to be done in the second leg at Stamford Bridge.
“Don’t forget that Chelsea are a good team with good players,”
Ancelotti told BT Sport.
“We won 2-0 and took advantage of this game. It is not done yet.”
“We need to fight and sacrifice at Stamford Bridge. This is normal, it is the quarter-final of the Champions League. We are satisfied for the game. It was a good game and we need to be ready for the next one.”
“When we played against 10 men they put in a low block and it was not easy to find a solution. We spent a lot of energy in the game to press high. At the end, we were not so fresh to find a solution. But the result and performance were good.”
“I know football really well. My players understand there is another 90 minutes to play. It will be difficult and we have to be ready.”
Real Madrid will now focus on Saturday’s La Liga game against Cadiz before returning to London for the second leg against Chelsea next Tuesday.
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