'Raul had the same problem when he was of Vinicius' age' - Former Real Madrid coach hails Vinicius Jr
What's the story?
Former Real Madrid coach, Jorge Valdano, has insisted the club hierarchy develop the Brazilian prodigy, Vinicius Jr, the same way he worked upon the club's legend, Raul Gonzalez, who had the same finishing problems when of Vinicius' age.
In case you didn't know..
The Argentine tactician worked with the Los Blancos between 1994-1996. It was during his tenure when club legend, Raul Gonzalez, came through the ranks to represent the first team.
Vinicius Jr is having a dream debut season with Los Blancos. The 18-year-old has already become a fan favourite and is leading the attack alongside Karim Benzema at the Bernabeu.
Even though he has impressed the world football with his exceptional pace on the left flank and his playmaking skills, the Brazilian winger has been facing minor criticism for his poor shot conversion rate. As of now, the former Flamengo man has had 75 shots on target, out of which, he has found the back of the net only three times.
The heart of the matter
Valdano insists that this weakness in the Brazilian's gameplay is only being highlighted because he's been tasked with single-handedly replacing a player of Cristiano Ronaldo's stature and suggested that the coaches at Madrid should work with his finishing.
Raul Gonzalez, perhaps, was the most talented youngsters to represent the royal whites before the arrival of the Brazilian prodigy, Vinicius Jr. According to Valdano, Raul had similar finishing problems like Vinicius Jr when he was of his age.
"When Raul was at the same age as Vinicius, we spent days correcting his finishing," Valdano admitted in an interview with El Transistor.
"The goal was clear and that's what I'd do with Vinicius. He will improve, but he needs to start looking up."
Raul Gonzalez went on to score 325 goals for the Los Blancos. Apart from that, the talented forward scored 44 goals for the Spanish national side in just 103 appearances for the La Roja.
With 3 goals and 12 assists registered to his name in just 25 first team appearances, Vinicius Jr is having a laudable debut season despite being an 18-year-old. It remains to see how well does the Brazilian develop in the coming seasons and whether he fills Cristiano's boot.
What's next?
After being one of the best players on the pitch for the Los Blancos' 3-0 defeat against Barcelona during the midweek, the Brazilian prodigy faces the Catalans yet again tonight, but this time around in La Liga.