Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior became the third player in the club’s history to win the FIFA Best Award on Tuesday night, following on from Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo.
He collected the award in Doha, Qatar, but made it clear he had no plans to stay there.
Over the course of several months, Vinicius was linked with a move to Saudi Arabia next summer consistently in the Madrid-based media, following meetings between Saudi intermediaries and his agents. There was talk of a €1b contract for Vinicius, and a €300-400m transfer fee, with Kylian Mbappe set to become the main star at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Yet he has once again made it clear to the Real Madrid hierarchy that he has not plans to leave. On several occasions, Vinicius has said publicly that he hopes to be in the Spanish capital for many years, and he reiterated that message on stage in Doha.
"It seemed impossible to get to this point when I was a kid. I was a boy who played bare-foot in the streets of Sao Goncalo between poverty and crime as a child and being able to get to this point is very important for me. I want to thank everyone for the award. I want to continue playing for Real Madrid for a long time, and I also want to thank Flamengo, where I started," Marca quoted.
"I thank the boss, Carlo Ancelotti, for always believing in me, Jose Angel Sanchez and the President for bringing me to Real Madrid, and Juni Calafat, for having faith in me when I was just 16-years-old."
Real Madrid have also hinted in the local press that they have no intention to sell the 24-year-old, yet the persistence of the stories in the local media have led many to question whether a move could happen. With Vinicius set for contract talks in 2025, the story will become clearer at that point.