BRAZIL
Vinicius: “It will be an honour to wear the Brazil shirt at the Bernabéu”
The Brazilian winger will be involved with the Seleçao as they play friendlies against England at Wembley and Spain at the Santiago Bernabéu.
New Brazil head coach Dorival Júnior starts his tenure on the Seleçao bench with two demanding high profile games as the canarinha face against England at Wembley (24 March) and Spain at the Santiago Bernabéu (March 26).
The second of the games will be special for many of the Brazilian players but will have extra significance for star Vinicius Junior as he plays on home turf in the game which has been organised between both federations as a match showcasing the commitment against violence and racism in football.
Speaking to the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) upon his arrival in London for the first of the matches against the Three Lions, Vini stated: “It will be emotional to be able to play at the Bernabéu, which is my home, alongside the majority of Real Madrid fans and with the national team shirt, which is always the most important thing,” he added.
“It’s always good to play against the best. It’s where we can demonstrate our strength. We have to be focused from the beginning to perform well,” added the Madrid winger.
It’s been five years since the Brazilian national side face European opposition in a friendly game (26 March, 2019 against the Czech Republic, winning 1-3) and the calibre of the opponents in these two games will stand Brazil well as preparation ahead of the Copa América which gets underway in June.
With no Neymar for Brazil as the Al Hilal player is still absent through injury, the spotlight will fall on Vinicius to deliver at the Copa America with the 23-year-old claiming that his level of excitement at representing his nation is as high as it was for his debut.