Vinicius Junior Equals Ronaldo, Benzema, Puskas With Historic Real Madrid Milestone

Vinicius Junior continues to cement his legacy as an all-time Real Madrid great, reaching 16 goals and assists in finals for Los Blancos to go level with absolute legends of the game for the most in club history.

Real Madrid fell in heartbreaking fashion 3–2 against bitter rivals Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday night. Despite the painful loss, Real Madrid battled admirably and had they managed to win the final, much of it would’ve been thanks to Vinicius Jr’s brilliance.

When Los Blancos looked on the verge of going down by two goals, the Brazilian appeared and produced a dazzling bit of magic down the left wing. Vinicius Jr embarrassed Jules Koundé, nutmegging him in the process before easily leaving behind Pau Cubarsí inside the penalty area to fire an unstoppable strike into the bottom corner, bringing Real Madrid level in the final.

But the beautiful individual action had much more significance, as it saw Vinicius Jr bag his 16th goal contribution in finals for Real Madrid, equalling the benchmark set by club legends Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Ferenc Puskás.

Ever since Vinicius Jr scored the match winner for Real Madrid in the 2021–22 Champions League final, he’s become a pivotal difference-maker in the 15 finals he’s played for the biggest club in the world. Reaching the milestone at just 25 years old makes it all the more impressive.

Vinicius Jr entered Sunday’s Super Cup final immersed in a dreadful 16-game goalscoring drought for Real Madrid, with his most recent goal for Los Blancos coming on Oct. 4. But with Kylian Mbappé on the bench because of injury, the Brazilian was back to his world-beating best, stepping-up on the big occasion and earning massive praise from manager Xabi Alonso.

“He [Vinicius Jr] had a great game,” Alonso said after the final, via AS. “Very dangerous. The goal was outstanding and he did a lot of damage down the left.

“The team worked hard, we showed character, but it didn’t happen tonight.”

Alonso mysteriously substituted the Brazilian in the dying minutes of the final, prompting backlash from Madridistas who couldn’t believe their best player on the night was leaving the pitch. Alonso later revealed he only substituted Vinicius Jr because the player asked to come off the pitch, completely exhausted after wrecking havoc all game.

The defeat against Barcelona is unquestionably a painful blow for Real Madrid. However, Vinicius Jr’s performance is a major positive takeaway from the final, as he once again showcased he’s one of the best players in the world when he’s at his best, continuing to deliver for Los Blancos on the biggest of stages—something that could be decisive come the climax of the season.