Vinicius Junior claims to have felt no pressure of replacing Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid, with it not his intention to try and emulate the achievements of a “legend”.
The Brazilian youngster arrived at Santiago Bernabeu during the summer of 2018, having had a deal in place with the Blancos for a year prior to that.
As he made his way to the Spanish capital, an iconic figure was on his way out.
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo made a shock switch to Juventus after nine years with Madrid, leaving a sizeable void for those left behind to try and fill.
Vinicius, at just 18 years of age, was never going to be the man to step into the shoes of an all-time great.
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He is being tipped to reach the top, with there plenty of potential in his game to still be unlocked, but the South American claims there is no expectation on him to become a talisman at this early stage of his career.
Vinicius told AS on following in Ronaldo’s footsteps: “Cristiano is Cristiano, he's a club legend.
“He did what no one has ever done. But I've never felt as though I am replacing him. I want to play and help Madrid.”
Vinicius took in 31 appearances for Real across the 2018-19 campaign, recording four goals.
He believes he has made the right choice in linking up with the Blancos while still in his teens, adding: “In my case, I think it was the right time.
“I was playing well for Flamengo but I also had the margin to improve. I evolved more in three months in Madrid there than I would have in a year back home. It was good for me to start and then play in the best club in the world.”
There is the promise of much more to come from Vinicius, with an exciting prospect getting the chance to learn on a daily basis from some of the finest talents on the planet.
He added on his experience to date: "Training is different. Most of the training sessions there are better than the actual games. And in training, no one wants to lose, all of the players want to improve every day.
“There are players like Sergio Ramos and Benzema who, even though they're over 30, train harder than everyone else. The inspiration you get from being next to the best players also helps, that makes you grow.”
