Like Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham), who publicly stated, "I have work left to do in the Premier League" and that he has no plans to head to Saudi Arabia for now, Vinicius Junior (24, Real Madrid), who is receiving strong interest from Saudi Arabia, has also expressed his desire to stay.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported on the 4th (Korean time) that "Vinicius, who is receiving interest from Saudi Pro League clubs, hopes to re-sign with Real." Vinicius has about two years left on his contract with Real.

According to the BBC, he will attend a pre-match press conference on the 5th ahead of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg against Atletico Madrid at home in Santiago Bernabeu, stating, "My contract is until 2027, so I am very calm. But I want to re-sign as soon as possible because I am happy here." He added, "I am with the best players in the world, the best coach, the best president, and the best fans. Everyone really loves me. There is no better place than this," expressing his hope to re-sign.

According to the British media Mirror, the Saudi Pro League, which is attracting world-class players, has made an offer of £200 million (approximately 371.2 billion won) to acquire Vinicius. However, he strongly wants to stay.

The Brazilian forward Vinicius joined Real Madrid in 2018 after leaving Flamengo in Brazil. He struggled initially in his first season with competition for a starting spot but gradually increased his playing time and improved his skills. Notably, he established himself as a key forward for the team starting in the 2021-2022 season, scoring the winning goal in the Champions League final of that season and leading Real to victory.

At Real, he has experienced winning La Liga three times, the Champions League twice, and the Copa del Rey once. He was recognized for his outstanding performance by winning the FIFA Men's Player of the Year award in 2024.

As of the 4th, he has made a total of 300 appearances for Real, scoring 102 goals and providing 76 assists.

Vinicius has also established himself as a key player for the Brazilian national team. He was selected for the senior national team in 2019 and has performed in major tournaments, including the 2022 FIFA World Cup. His strengths include his speed and dribbling ability, and he has further solidified his position within the team by improving his scoring.

Vinicius, who wants to stay longer with Real, said, "My dream as a child was to come here. Now I am writing history myself." He added, "I have lifted many trophies, but I want to win even more. There are many legendary players at Real, and I want to rise to the same level as them."

Meanwhile, Vinicius, who won the FIFA Men's Player of the Year award in 2024 and secured his first major individual award, missed out on the Ballon d'Or in the same year due to competition from Manchester City's midfielder Rodri and Spain's national team.

At that time, Real boycotted the award ceremony held in Paris, France. According to AFP and Spanish media, Real was aware in advance that Vinicius would not be receiving the Ballon d'Or and stated, "We will not go to a place where we are not respected," and did not send a delegation.

Vinicius finally explained the reason for his absence from the Ballon d'Or ceremony.

He responded, "I did what the club told me to do. The club asked me to stay quietly in Madrid, so I did. Now, I am waiting for the next opportunity."

He continued, "I have never dreamed of the Ballon d'Or. But as I got closer, I became greedier." He added, "There will be many opportunities to receive other awards in the future. It is important to win more trophies at this club. So far, I have won the Champions League twice. I am here to win even more in the future."

[Photo] OneFootball

[OSEN = reporter No Jin-joo]