Another challenge awaiting €180m Real Madrid superstar in upcoming Madrid derby | OneFootball

Real Madrid will be without one of their most important players in the upcoming Madrid derby as Kylian Mbappe suffered a muscle injury in the last league game against Alaves.

In his absence, Vinicius Junior will be the player who takes on most of the responsibilities in the attacking line, and with all the noise surrounding him in the last few years, and more specifically in the last few months, most of the spotlight will be centred on him in this game.

This will be a particular challenge for the Brazilian, as Mundo Deportivo notes that he has not given his best performances against the Mattress Makers in the past. He has played 13 times against Diego Simeone’s team and has only one goal and provided four assists in the 13 games.

These numbers are particularly pale when compared to Vinicius’ performances against another of Real Madrid’s fierce rivals, Barcelona. Against the Blaugranes, he has scored seven goals but has also played four more games against them than he has against Atletico.

The upcoming Madrid derby is also scheduled to take place at Wanda Metropolitano, and the Atletico fans and Vinicius have no love lost between them. Atletico fans have been accused of racist chants against the Real Madrid forward in the past, while Vinicius himself has not refrained from showcasing his joy whenever the Merengues pile misery on their cross-town rivals.

But the upcoming match will be different for the €180 million-rated forward for one particular reason. He is currently the favourite to win the next Ballon d’Or, and there are not a lot of days left before the ceremony to hand out this award takes place on 28th October.

Having picked up some pace after a slow start to the season, Vinicius will be looking to once again put on display his Ballon d’Or credentials in this big match.