The shock departure of Karim Benzema earlier this summer left a gaping hole in theReal Madridsquad. Not only did theMerengueslose their ace goalscorer, but they also lost one of the leaders of the team.
Naturally, the void left by the Frenchman’s surprise exit is huge. But, according toJose Felix Diaz of MARCA, one of the rising stars of the game, Vinicius Jr. believes he is ready to step up and take over as the leader of the team following Benzema’s departure.
Vinicius has been making rapid strides on the pitch over the past couple of seasons and is rightly recognised as one of the most dangerous forwards in the game at this point in time.
The 23-year-old Brazilian’s influence has grown beyond what he does on the pitch as he is now seen as the face of the fight against racism in football.
Real Madrid view Vinicius as the present and the future of the team and have thushanded him iconic the No. 7 shirtheading into the 2023/24 campaign.
And the Brazilian international believes he is ready to repay the faith shown by the club by taking over the mantle of leadership and filling the void left by Benzema.
The 23-year-old is confident that he is capable of being the leader of the team and acting as the reference in the attacking department now that his former partner-in-crime, Benzema, is no longer at the club.
As iterated earlier, Vinicius has shown tremєɴԀous growth in the last couple of seasons. He was one of the most important performers in 2021/22 asReal Madridwon the La Liga title and the UEFA Champions League, finishing with 22 goals and 20 assists.
Last season, the Brazilian went on to better those numbers, єɴԀing the campaign with 23 goals and 21 assists across all competitions.
There have been controversies surrounding the Brazilian due to his occasional confrontations with opponents. But he realises that he needs to play with peace and complete focus although he will not back down if opposition players Ԁιȿɾєȿρєƈτ him.
