Vinícius Júnior has grown a lot as a figure for Real Madrid, but he still has unfinished business in derbies against Atlético Madrid. Despite his huge impact on the team and his great goal-scoring ability, Vinícius has scored only one goal and provided four assists in 16 meetings against the rojiblancos. This record, while not bad, feels underwhelming for a player of his caliber, turning it into a personal challenge. And what better place to settle this than the Metropolitano, a stadium that motivates him a lot.

Incidents and personal challenges

Throughout these 16 derbies, Vinícius has had a series of bitter memories, both on and off the field. During his time in the Real Madrid youth academy, he was involved in an incident with Atlético youth player Tachi, who bit him on the head. Later, Vinícius became the target of several racist incidents, including the shocking case of a doll hung with his shirt and number on a bridge before a derby. Although these acts were reported, they were not punished by the authorities, which has fueled a special motivation for Vinícius every time he plays at the Metropolitano.

On the sporting front, Vinícius has never scored at the Metropolitano in six occasions and only managed to score in a Copa del Rey derby at the Santiago Bernabéu, in a match that was already practically decided. Against Atlético, he has been the least successful in terms of goals, averaging only 0.07 goals per game, which is far from his numbers against teams like Valencia and Osasuna, against which he’s scored eight goals in twelve matches.

A challenge in the immediate future

Vinícius has played 1,220 minutes against Atlético Madrid since his debut in 2018, but he still hasn’t been able to shine consistently in these derbies. He’s had good moments, like when he drew a penalty in his second derby under Santiago Solari, but his performance has been modest compared to other classics, like the games against Barcelona. Vinícius has tried to improve his numbers, averaging 2.29 shots per game and completing 63 successful dribbles out of 146 attempts, but his presence in derbies remains limited, with just 0.30 assists per match.

In his last derby, during the first leg of the Champions League round of 16, Vinícius had a chance to score but missed, despite being free to make it 3-1. His attempt was blocked by Marcos Llorente, one of the toughest opponents for Vinícius due to his speed and physical strength. Vinícius tried several times to drift into the middle of the field to get past Llorente, but he couldn’t manage to do so.