The last three seasons and so far this season have seen an unleashed version of Vinicius Junior in the Champions League. He is the leader of the competition in offensive contribution with 35 goals generated, 15 of them through assists and 20 through goals, such as the three he scored against Borussia Dortmund in the 3rd matchday of the new League phase.
2021 marked the start of a new era for Vinicius Junior. His early years at Real Madrid were characterised by criticism of his style of play, which was dribbling proficient but lacked the necessary composure in front of goal or when deciding whether the best destination for a move was a shot or a pass to a team-mate. Today, he sees a very different picture. He is the leading candidate to win the Ballon d’Or.
On Tuesday night, he put in a performance that justifies his likely winning of the trophy. He scored a hat trick against Borussia Dortmund in the third round of the league campaign to spark a comeback from 2-0 down. Despite diatribes about the revamped UEFA format because lesser opponents are entering the fray, this box does not belong to last season’s finalists, the German side.
With his three goals, the Brazilian has distanced himself from the rest in the ranking of the competition’s top scorers, starting with the season in which he was at his most effective, the 21-22. From there, he has helped beat or directly beat the opposing goalkeepers on 35 occasions, five more than his teammate Kylian Mbappe, who shares his tally in the white shirt and with Paris Saint-Germain.
Robert Lewandowski closes the podium thanks to his work at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, which he has generated 26 goals. Vinicius generated 15 through assists and 20 through his own shots, three less than the Pole, who has netted 23 times and has helped his teammates to do so three times.
