What’s the story?
Real Madrid have beaten arch-rivals Barcelona to the signing of Brazilian wonder kid Vinicius Junior, according to reports from Brazilian media outlet, Globoesporte. The big news for Indian football fans is the 16-year-old is set to play in India later this year when he will represent Brazil in the FIFA Under-17 World Cup.
Brazil are among the 24 teams set to participate in the Under-17 World Cup later this year. Vinicius, who is a self-confessed Real Madrid fan, will be eligible to leave Flamengo for Los Blancos once he turns 18. He has already been touted to become the next Neymar, and Real Madrid have agreed to meet Flamengo’s €61 million demand for the player.
In case you didn’t know…
The FIFA Under-17 World Cup 2017 will be hosted by India. The 24-team tournament kicks off on the 6th of October and will feature teams from around the world. The World Cup will run for 22 days until 28th October and will be staged in six cities across India, namely, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Goa, Guwahati and Kochi.
The Under-17 World Cup will have an Indian team participate in a FIFA competition for the first time in history.
The heart of the matter
Vinicius, who led Brazil Under-17s to their 12th South American Under-17 Football Championship title earlier this year, is easily the best 16-year-old out there. He scored seven goals and laid on three assists to win the tournament’s best player award, apart from winning the top scorer gong.
Therefore, it is not surprising that Vinicius sparked a tug of war between Real Madrid and Barcelona, a battle which Los Blancos seem to have won.
What’s next?
Along with his group of talented Brazilian teammates like Lincoln and Alan Souza, Vinicius will touch down in India for the World Cup in early October.
Brazil are three-time winners of the Under-17 World Cup, but they will look to break their duck since 2003 when the first ball is kicked on the 6th of October.
Author’s take
With players like Vinicius and US Under-17s’ Tim Weah set to be in action in India later this year, it promises to be a special year for Indian football fans. Stars of the future will grace Indian football pitches, and Real Madrid’s reported signing of Vinicius has now made the Under-17 World Cup a bit more special.
For the first time ever, one of the biggest teenage stars in world football will have India as the stage to showcase his talent and potential to the world.
