This is the third evolution of Vinicius who was born in California and with which he seeks to govern Europe

Vinicius’ third evolution crystallized last Tuesday at the Allianz with a night that brought him closer to the category of historical matadors. The Brazilian started at Real Madrid as a somewhat scatterbrained agitator. With Ancelotti, he became the squire who propelled Benzema to the Ballon d’Or. In Munich, in his new life as a false nine, increasingly further from the left, he not only supported the team with two goals in the first leg of the semi-final of the Champions (2-2); He left an impressive trail in the European Cup still at 23 years old.

Only four other footballers have scored in the semifinals in three consecutive editions of the tournament: Di Stéfano, between 1956 and 1960; Litmanen, between 1995 and 1997; Cristiano Ronaldo, between 2012 and 2015; and De Bruyne, between 2021 and 2023.

The Brazilian’s impact in the Champions League, since his second evolution in the 2021/22 season, is formidable: in the last three editions, no one has accumulated more contributions to the goal than his 32 (16 goals and 16 assists), ahead of Mbappé (28), Haaland (23) and Lewandowski (23), according to X Don Amancio’s account, with official UEFA data.

“One of the best characteristics that Vinicius has is his continuity in the game,” Ancelotti said. Opta has recorded an overwhelming sequence: in his last 25 matches in the European Cup, since March 2022, the Brazilian has only failed to score or assist in four.

The takeoff of the last Vinicius confirmed in Munich has two touch points in the United States whose effects can be traced in his goals against Bayern. The first happened in the preseason, at the UCLA facilities in California. Benzema was no longer there, Modric was entering the final stretch of his career, and the Brazilian understood that an opportunity was opening up for him to score several more goals a year from the penalty spot. Those days, inspired by Neymar’s throwing style, one of his greatest football references, he began to practice a skill that until then he had barely dedicated himself to systematically.

But the first test went wrong. In the classic played in Dallas on July 29, he hit the crossbar. Some people on his work team reproached him for not having followed the plan. In practice he had always looked for low corners, but when he faced Ter Stegen he shot high and in the center: into the wood. He spent a long time until the next opportunity for him. Especially because of his two muscle injuries, the first of his career.

That forced break leads to the second touch point of the takeoff, also in the United States. When he was ready to return, on December 17 against Villarreal, he preferred to wait a little longer. He missed that game and the one on the 21st against Alavés, but, as the championship stopped until January, he won three weeks of preseason. He was obsessed with returning in the best conditions to fly in 2024, according to sources close to him. That’s why he did something strange: he took Thiago Lobo, his personal physio and trainer, on Christmas vacation, with whom he worked daily while traveling from coast to coast to watch NBA games in Los Angeles, Oklahoma and New York. York.

On his return, in the Super Cup final in Arabia, he again found himself with a penalty against Barça. He beat Iñaki Peña and completed a hat trick in 39 minutes. As he did with Ter Stegen three months later in his next opportunity, in the classic that sealed the League at the Bernabéu. Only nine days before the Allianz night, at an even more compromised moment: away from home, 2-1 down in the 83rd minute, with Manuel Neuer in front.

The goal culminated a play that, apart from the poise in the shot, contains more features of his transformation. The penalty is the end of a play that the Brazilian directed and in which, without obsessing about advancing to the area, he managed time until he found the moment in which to put the pass to Rodrygo, who was knocked down by Kim. He did so away from the band, one of the changes that Ancelotti has pushed him towards. If last season he received 37% of the passes close to the line, this season the proportion has fallen to 26%, according to StatsBomb.

He treads new areas and there he shows a tactical understanding distilled, as he says privately, after many hours alongside Benzema. His first goal in Munich, when Madrid was suffering the most, earned Kroos rare praise for his progress in reading the game: “A lot of credit for Vini. He is the one who offers me to make the pass with his movement,” he explained. “Not only is he fast, but he is also smart, and he knows how and when he has to move.”

This evolution in his football intelligence has allowed him to exploit the areas closest to the goal, something he had not learned in Brazil. He now rubs shoulders with the best forwards in Europe: he is the twelfth with the best scoring average in the five major leagues, with 0.6 goals per game, according to StatsBomb. Ahead, there is only a small platoon of chosen ones from whom he seemed astronomically far away: Kane, Mbappé, Haaland, Morata, Isak… With his third evolution, Vinicius advances towards the government of Europe with records unthinkable when he arrived at the Madrid.

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