Vinícius Júnior believes he and the other “chosen ones” of Real Madrid have met one of the demands of the most successful club in the world after winning the Intercontinental Cup.
The Brazil international scored one goal and set up another as Madrid beat Mexico’s Pachuca 3-0 in the final on Wednesday. Madrid qualified for the tournament by winning the Champions League last season.
“The team has lived up to what history demands of them, which is winning big titles,” Vinícius said after the win. “Not any player can wear this jersey, they don’t all get the chance to play for the best team in the world. We’re the chosen ones, it’s a unique feeling very few players have been able to enjoy.”
Vinícius, 24, was named player of the match in the success against Pachuca to cap off a successful week for Vinícius, who won FIFA’s The Best men’s player of the year award on Tuesday.
“It’s been a beautiful week, really special for me,” he said.
Vinícius lost out to Manchester City midfielder Rodri for the 2024 Ballon d’Or award in October, but he appears to have put that disappointment behind him.
“An award in which people chose not to vote for me won’t change what I think or what my teammates tell me every day,” he said. “I’m here to play for them and do my best for this jersey, the greatest in the world. I arrived at Real Madrid, the best club in the world, and I was undermined for a long time but I’ve never let my head drop, I just kept working hard.
“We always want to be at the top … we’ve been crowned the best club in the world. I hope we can keep it up for a long time to come and continue making history in these colours.”
Vinícius also hailed teammate Kylian Mbappé, who scored Madrid’s opener on Wednesday via an assist from the Brazilian.
“I’m a huge fan of his,” Vinícius said of the France star. “I sent him loads of messages [earlier this year] because I always dreamed of playing with him, he’s a fantastic player. We’ve admired each other for a long time. We have a wonderful group, we all love each other very much, there’s no vanity here. We’re here to put Real Madrid at the top, where it should always be.”
Madrid also won the European Super Cup in August and are third in LaLiga, one point adrift of leaders Barcelona but with a game in hand.