Real Madrid News
Liverpool defeat Real Madrid in the race to sign the ‘new Vinicius’ – report
In recent years, Real Madrid have been quite efficient in finding and then acquiring South American talents that are dubbed the next big thing.
Thanks to the expertise of Juni Calafat, Real Madrid have been able to bag talents such as Vinicius Jr., Franco Mastantuono, Rodrygo and Endrick in recent years.
However, in what could prove to be a big miss, it appears Real Madrid have been beaten by Liverpool in the race to sign Gabriel Mec, the young attacker being labelled as the ‘new Vinicius’.
Liverpool beat Real Madrid in Gabriel Mec chase
As reported by Brazilian journalist Fabio Vargas (h/t Defensa Central), Liverpool are on the verge of sealing the services of Mec, in a deal worth €15 million.
Currently plying his trade for Gremio, Mec is not a traditional winger like Vinicius. However, he is an explosive attacker who is capable of breaking down the lines in the final third.
At just 17, Mec has already shown immense potential and has been compared to stars like Vinicius, whose future at the Santiago Bernabeu remains uncertain.
This comes as a blow for Real Madrid, especially as the club had been monitoring the progress of Mec for a few months now.
Real Madrid missing out on Mec is not an isolated case. In recent years, the club have found it more and more difficult to sign Brazilian talents at a reasonable price.
In fact, Mec becomes the third big Brazilian talent Real Madrid have missed out on now, after Estevao and Vitor Reis.
As Premier League clubs grow wealthier, clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona are finding it increasingly difficult to land unproven South American talents, who are fetching hefty valuations in the market.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. admits finishing problem after another frustrating night vs Elche: ‘Can’t miss that much’
Vinicius Jr.’s difficult start in front of goal continued against Elche, and the Real Madrid forward did not need anyone to tell him he had missed another chance to make the difference.
The Brazilian finished the night without a goal despite having chances to get on the scoresheet, while his teammates could only watch from the bench as opportunities went begging.
Jose Mourinho had already identified the problem before kick-off, bluntly pointing to the issue facing his forward, stating, “He’s missing the goal.”
Vini offered an equally frank assessment afterwards.
Rather than hide from another frustrating evening, he accepted responsibility on social media: “The goals will come back; I can’t miss that much…”
Two chances, no finish for Vinicius
Vinicius had two particularly clear openings against Elche, but neither produced the finish Real Madrid needed from their star forward.
The first arrived when he found himself one-on-one with the opposition goalkeeper.
Instead of finding the net, Vinicius caught the ball with the tip of his foot and sent his effort wide. Arda Guler was available during the move and called for the ball, but Vini backed himself to finish the chance.
He had another opportunity after the interval, this time following an excellent pass from Guler during a quick Real Madrid transition. Again, though, Vinicius could not find the target.
His evening ended in the 68th minute, with Mourinho deciding the Brazilian was tired and turning his attention towards Sunday’s Atletico Madrid derby.
Mourinho has a bigger decision to make
The numbers show why Vinicius’ finishing has become a talking point. He managed five shots against Elche, but only one was on target and none found the net.
After seven appearances this season, the Brazilian has scored just once, which is a striking return for a player Real Madrid rely upon to provide a major share of their attacking threat.
Ultimately, though, Real Madrid found another route to victory, with Arda Guler, Kylian Mbappe and Carlos Espi providing the goals in the 3-2 comeback.
