“I used to look up to Neymar; now it’s Vinicius” - Granada star who scored brace against Barcelona makes honest admission
Granada winger Bryan Zaragoza has said that he used to look up to Barcelona legend Neymar but now looks up to Real Madrid ace Vinicius Jr. He said so following his brace in his side's 2-2 La Liga home draw against the Blaugrana on Sunday (October 8).
Zaragoza stunned the La Liga holders by firing the Nazaries into the lead inside the opening minute at Los Carmenes. The 22-year-old doubled Granada's advantage in the 29th minute with a brilliant outside-of-the-boot finish after turning Jules Kounde inside out.
Barca's Lamine Yamal created La Liga history on the cusp of half-time. The 16-year-old's strike made him the youngest scorer in Spanish top-flight history.
Granada looked good to hold on for the win before Sergi Roberto scored the equaliser five minutes from time to avert a first competitive defeat of the season for Barcelona. The draw kept them third in the standings after nine games, three points behind leaders Real Madrid.
Zaragoza has now scored 10 times in 46 games across competitions for Granada. In the post-match interview, he admitted that he used to look up to former Barca winger Neymar while growing up. However, he also stated that now he draws inspiration from Real Madrid winger and Neymar's international teammate, Vinicius Junior. He said (as per Madrid Zone on X):
"As a kid, I used to look up to Neymar. Now I look up to Vinicius."
Neymar had a short but successful four-year stint at the Camp Nou, bagging 105 goals and 76 assists in 186 games across competitions. The Brazilian currently plays for Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal, whom he joined this summer.
Meanwhile, Vinicius has 62 goals and 65 assists in 232 games across competitions for Los Blancos since arriving in 2018.
How have Real Madrid and Barcelona fared this season?
Both Real Madrid and Barcelona have had good starts to their respective 2023-24 campaign. While Madrid have lost once across competitions and lead La Liga, Barca are unbeaten and trail their arch-rivals by three points.
Madrid's only loss in 11 games across competitions this season came at Atletico Madrid in the league, going down 3-1. However, Carlo Ancelotti's side have responded well to the setback, winning their next four games, scoring 12 goals and keeping three clean sheets, conceding twice.
Meanwhile, Xavi's Barcelona are unbeaten in 11 games across competitions this season, winning eight, including six in the league. They will lock horns with the league leaders in the season's first El Clasico on October 28 after the international break.