The Brazilian concedes he is better at taking on defenders than he is at finding the back of the net on a regular basis
Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior has admitted that he finds dribbling past opponents easier than scoring goals.
Vinicius has established himself as a mainstay in Madrid's starting XI since joining the club from Flamengo in 2018, helping them win three trophies along the way including one La Liga title.
However, the Brazilian's output in the final third has often been called into question, with the winger now conceding that he is better at taking on defenders than finding the back of the net.
What's been said?
“I like to dribble, and I think it’s easier to do than scoring goals," Vinicius told El Pais. "I’m more under control and I know I’m quite effective in one-on-one situations because defenders tend to guess and think a lot when they're up against me."
Vinicius' record for Madrid
Vinicius has already racked up 102 appearances across all competitions for the Blancos, with his latest coming in the 2-1 Liga win over Elche on Saturday.
The 20-year-old has only scored 12 goals to date, but has managed to lay on a further 20 for his team-mates and is expected to play a big role for the club in the future after being handed a contract until 2025.
Vinicius' relationship with Benzema
Karim Benzema has benefitted most from Vinicius' impressive dribbling skills at Santiago Bernabeu over the past couple of years, with the youngster providing high-quality service.
Vinicius says the Frenchman, who is currently fifth in Madrid's all-time scorers' list, is always on hand to give him advice on how to develop his game and hopes he can start to deliver goals on a more consistent basis.
“Karim is unbelievable, I’ve been a big fan since I was playing in Brazil and watching his games," he added on Benzema's influence. "Playing with him is easy, he’s the best striker right now, playing with him is good for me because it means having an idol by my side.
"He always tells me what to do and he likes playing with me as well. I always listen to him because I’m sure he does it so that I can improve and deliver more assists to him and also so that I can score off his assists."