“He’s like Ronaldinho but a little bit more explosive” - Owen Hargreaves compares Real Madrid star to Barcelona legend
Former England midfielder Owen Hargreaves has compared Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr to Barcelona legend Ronaldinho, by claiming they have similar playing styles.
Hargreaves lavished praise on the Real Madrid star for his unique set of skills and insisted that the 23-year-old is extremely tricky to play against. He told TNT Sports, as quoted by Eurosport:
"At the weekend against Girona, he was a one-man wrecking crew. He was absolutely unbelievable; set up a couple of goals, scored a brilliant goal himself. He’s such a fabulous player. One v one, he’s one of the hardest players to play against."
Hargreaves added:
"I just don’t think you can beat him. He’s got skill, a low centre of gravity, his end product has become absolutely unbelievable. He’s one of the funnest players to watch. You think more about Ronaldinho on that left-hand side. He’s like Ronaldinho but a little bit more explosive."
Since joining Real Madrid from Flamengo for a reported fee of €46 million back in 2018, Vinicius Jr has developed into a bonafide superstar. Aged 23, he is now regarded amongst the best players in the world.
The Brazil international has scored 71 goals and provided 71 assists in 247 games for Los Blancos. He has contributed with 12 goals and seven assists in 22 games across competitions this campaign.
Real Madrid considering shock swap deal for Manchester United attacker - Reports
Real Madrid are reportedly plotting a swap deal to land Marcus Rashford from Manchester United in exchange of Takefusa Kubo. Spanish outlet Real Madrid Exclusivo (via TEAMTalk), Los Blancos are considering activating their buyback clause to bring Kubo back to the club from Real Sociedad.
The Spanish giants are understood to be keen to buy Kubo back only to use him as a makeweight for signing Rashford from Manchester United. The Red Devils are believed to value their star attacker at around £120 million, who signed a new long-term deal last summer, which expires in 2028.
Rashford has failed to deliver so far this season after a career-best campaign last time out during which he scored 30 goals and registered 11 assists in 51 games. The England international has managed to produce just five goals and six assists in 29 appearances across competitions this season.
Rashford was recently internally disciplined by United when he failed to show up for training after a night out of drinking. He was reportedly fined two weeks' wages (£650,000) but has since returned to Erik ten Hag's first team.