Vinicius' impressive Madrid displays mask poor goalscoring record
The Brazilian has scored just three goals in 26 appearances for the club
Lionel Messi didn't have to appear at the Bernabeu. Luis Suarez's goals and Ousmane Dembele's goals were enough to down Real Madrid. No player on Santiago Solari's was able to beat Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Not even Real Madrid's new star.
Recently, Vinicius Jr. declared that "Messi is an incredible player, but he doesn't scare anyone." The comments, as seen in Wednesday's game, have taken their toll.
It's true that Vinicius was Madrid's player. He's a player who can beat a man and has class on the ball. But... goals? Vinicius tried again and again but his shooting was way off when he had the chance to score.
The Brazilian teenager has had 75 shots in his 26 official games with Madrid. That's a lot of shots and a lot of involvement. Vinicius has been a spark for Madrid in a season which was lacking characters. But now they've been knocked out of the cup and the league's almost gone.
It's clear that Vinicius is heavily involved in his side's play. But the statistics deceive slightly because he has only scored three times -- 5.8 percent of his shots have ended in goals.
Madrid are paying the price for selling Cristiano Ronaldo. Without the Portuguese international, Los Blancos have not been as effective in the final third this season. They have played Barça three times and have scored just two goals. Two goals which have amounted to nothing.
Vinicius is not a born goalscorer like Ronaldo. It may come with time, but at the moment, for all he tries and for all his involvement, Vinicius still doesn't scare anyone.
