Real Madrid News
Vinicius Jr was close to Barcelona move, says agent: “Real Madrid didn’t even know him”
Football agent Andre Cury, who also happens to be the former scout of FC Barcelona in the Brazil region, has claimed that Vinicius Jr was close to joining the Catalans before his move to Real Madrid in 2017.
Los Blancos spent €46 million to sign Vinicius from Flamengo six years ago, at a time when he was just an unknown 17-year-old prospect. He is now one of the biggest stars in the game, having achieved immense success at the Santiago Bernabeu since arriving in Spain in 2018.
However, according to Cury’s account, Barcelona were poised to sign Vinicius before Real Madrid came swooping in and the youngster chose the Merengues only because of his agents.
“Vinicius went to Madrid because his agents chose him. We had been working on the signing for three years and his agents betrayed us,” Cury told El Larguero.
Furthermore, the football agent added that Real Madrid did not even know who Vinicius was at the time and that the winger was a Barcelona fan, so much so that he had cried when the Catalans had beaten PSG 6-1 in the UEFA Champions League several years ago.
“Madrid didn’t even know the player. He told me he cried at the 6-1 win over PSG. He told me,” Cury added.
But, in the end, though, Vinicius ended up signing for Real Madrid and has now become the face of Carlo Ancelotti’s team.
The winger, who turned 23 yesterday, has been handed the iconic No. 7 jersey heading into the new season while he has also signed a new long-term contract with Real Madrid that includes a huge Ballon d’Or bonus and loyalty bonus.
Real Madrid News
Bellingham on his special assist in Girona 0-3 Real Madrid: “Been watching Luka every day”
Real Madrid usurped the top spot in the La Liga standings from arch-rivals FC Barcelona as they defeated Girona 3-0 away at Estadi Montilivi.
It was a fine performance from Carlo Ancelotti’s men against Michel’s side, with the returning Jude Bellingham leading the way for his team.
After being benched against Las Palmas in midweek, the England international returned to the starting XI today and turned in yet another Man of the Match display for Real Madrid.
It all started with Joselu opening the scoring just 15 minutes into the game, with Bellingham assisting the goal with a special, outside-of-the-boot pass from the left side, bringing back memories of Luka Modric doing something similar a few years ago.
Talking about that special pass, Bellingham said: “I’ve been watching Luka every day for months. I just want to be creative. It took the pressure off us at the start.”
On the match and the result, the 20-year-old stated that it was a good day across the board for Real Madrid, as he said: “It was an important win. They were doing very well. We made a statement of intent to La Liga. Three goals, a clean sheet….”
It has been a truly remarkable start to life at Real Madrid for Bellingham and expressing how he feels to play for the Merengues, he exclaimed:
“I feel very good. I have freedom of movement and I’m enjoying football. Whenever I put on this shirt I always try to do my best.”
Apart from assisting Joselu’s opener, Bellingham also got his name on the scoresheet in the second period. Talking about his goal, the wonderkid said:
“It wasn’t a very good finish. I could have scored some more, but the important thing is the victory.”
The strike meant that Bellingham now has seven goals and two assists across all competitions for Real Madrid. Reflecting on his brilliant start, he said:
“It’s a good start, not bad. I would like to continue on this path and I won’t always score or assist, but I will always give my best.”
Bellingham’s celebration has been a huge hit, with kids in school, players from other clubs, and many others mimicking it. When asked how his special celebration originated, he replied:
“I don’t know where I first celebrated. I think it was with Birmingham. It’s an inspiration to see kids doing it in schools. It’s a wonderful thing.”
Source: AS
