Lost amidst the worldwide headlines following racist words uttered by a Benfica player at Vinicius Junior Tuesday evening in Lisboa was yet another magical night for the Brazilian superstar on Europe’s biggest stage. Vinicius’s goal in the 50th minute was the catalyst for a much-deserved Real Madrid victory in the first leg of their elimination tie. Vinicius’s shot had only a 2% probability of finding the back of the net pre shot, but that increased to 82% post shot, reflective of how well the Brazilian placed and struck the ball to provide the only goal in the match. Vinicius’s 31st goal in the Champions League tied him with legendary Madrid winger Paco Gento for fourth place all time in a Madrid jersey in European Cup competition.
Vinicius has 27 goals and 26 assists in the Champions League over the past five seasons. His 53 goal contributions more than double the 23 goals produced by last year’s Ballon D’Or winner, Ousmane Dembélé, over that time. In fact, no one has more goal contributions than Vinicius in the tournament or has been more decisive in the competition since the 2021/2022 season (see graph below) which includes raising la Orejona trophy twice while scoring in both finals. Real Madrid’s current #7 is following in the footsteps of the Portuguese legend who wore the famed 7 jersey for nine seasons at Madrid.
Vinicius is now two goal contributions away from what would be his fifth consecutive season with 10+ goal contributions in Europe’s top club competition. That is something that has been accomplished by only one player in Champions League history to date: Mr. Champions League himself, Cristiano Ronaldo, who managed eight consecutive seasons producing 10+ goals in the tournament from 2010/2011 through 2017/2018 during which he led Madrid to four Champions League titles. In fact many legends of the game, amongst them Karim Benzema, Raúl and Robert Lewandowski, have never managed back to back seasons in the Champions League with 10+ goal contributions.
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Vinicius’s 30 assists in Champions League action already rank him seventh in Champions League history, tied with Barcelona legend Xavi Hernández and German great Thomas Müller. The only other active player in the top 10 is Kevin de Bruyne with 31 assists and he turns 35 in June. The Madrid winger’s 31 goals and 30 assists place him in select company – one of only five players to score 30+ goals and distribute 30+ assists in Champions League history. The other four are legends of the game: Cristiano, Lionel Messi, Neymar and Müller. Impressive company for anyone, but especially for a player who doesn’t turn 26 until July.
But perhaps most impressive is that of Vinicius’s 61 goal contributions in the Champions League, 46% (28) are in elimination matches after the initial round/group phase. That already surpasses the 22 goal contributions (29% of his 76 goals + assists) of his compatriot Neymar in the elimination rounds.
With Vinicius back to his best form, scoring six goals and providing another three assists in 2026, Madrid’s hopes of lifting silverware this spring have increased significantly. You can be sure no team wants to face a Madrid team with Kylian Mbappé and a Vinicius that is now firing on all cylinders.
