Vinicius Jr signed a new deal with Real Madrid last summer that extends through 2027 and has a €1 billion (£867 million) release clause. And, speaking to The Telegraph Vinicius Jr’s long-term agent, Frederico Pena, reiterated his opinion that his star client may spend his whole career at Real Madrid.
Pena, who facilitated 18-year-old Vinicius’ transfer to Real Madrid in 2018, extensively spoke about the Brazilian’s future. The winger has been steadily developing at Real Madrid, and his 20-yard screamer against Manchester City in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal at the Bernabeu showed that he has gained the confidence to try his luck from long range.
Agent claims Vinicius Jr could stay at Real Madrid for ’15-plus years’ and create his own legacy
With 23 assists and 21 goals this season, Vinicius Jr has already eclipsed his previous best for Real Madrid and will look to add to that total in the season’s final few games. However, there has been some conjecture regarding his future since Real are yet to formally announce a contract extension, which is said to be signed until 2027, and his agent Federico Pena has dropped a few hints about it. Pena told Th Telegraph:
“Vini is very close with Real Madrid and he’s so happy there. He’s very at ease, he loves the club. He’s been there so long, he’s kind of turned into a man there. But will he one day leave Real Madrid or will he be a one-club kind of player? I would tell you right now there’s a big chance that he’s the kind of player who stays in one club and makes history there and stays there for 15-plus years.”
As Vinicius Jr and Real Madrid travel to Manchester for their second leg of the Champions League semifinal against City, the Brazil international’s agent further claimed that a permanent move to the Premier League is nowhere near his client’s immediate future. While he would love to play alongside Erling Haaland, there are higher chances that it could happen in Madrid than Manchester. Pena added on a potential Premier League move:
“I can’t really see that happening right now, but who knows, these things change in football and there’s things you would never imagine seeing that happen. I would just say if he were to leave Real Madrid some day, it would make no sense for it to be somewhere other than the Premier League.”
Vinicius Jr scored the game-winning goal in last season’s final against Liverpool, and winning the Champions League for the second year in a row would be the 22-year-old’s tenth trophy with the Spaniards. With that, Vinicius Jr is likely to fight for big individual awards with City striker Haaland and Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe now that the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo era is coming to an end. His agent continued:
“I think the Ronaldo and Messi era was very, very unique,” said Pena. “I don’t know if we can think about a rivalry to match that over such a long period of time. I think we’ll go back to a time where there’s a bigger group of players who will be in that spotlight. For instance, Haaland is playing in the Premier League, which has the biggest global reach and that will play a part.
“But Haaland plays for Norway who are not fighting for the World Cup, so I think we will go back to a healthy time like when there was Ronaldo and Zidane and Ronaldinho, and other players. Vini is such a professional athlete and he’s so disciplined, I think he will be at that level for the next decade and more, but I don’t think it will only be those three players (Vinicius, Haaland and Mbappe). I think it will evolve in a different way.”