Vinícius Júnior said he’s eyeing Ronaldo Nazario’s record as Real Madrid‘s top-scoring Brazilian after netting his 100th goal for the club in their 5-1 Champions League win over RB Salzburg on Wednesday.
A brace from Rodrygo — one coming from a sublime Jude Bellingham assist — put Madrid 2-0 up at half-time at the Santiago Bernabeu, before Kylian Mbappé added a third. Vinícius scored twice to complete the win, and assure Madrid of a place in the playoffs for the knockout phase.
Vinicíus has now scored 101 goals for Madrid in all competitions, leaving him closing in on Brazil legend Ronaldo, who scored 104 in five years at the club between 2002 and 2007.
“I’m happy to score goals in this shirt,” Vinicius told Movistar on Wednesday. “I’m three goals away from Ronaldo, from being the Brazilian with most goals in this shirt. Let’s hope I can score more.”
Vinicíus has won two Champions Leagues — scoring in both finals — with Madrid, as well as three LaLiga titles.
He was surprised to learn he had been named MVP in the game against Salzburg.
“I had the feeling that I couldn’t play well in the first half,” he said. “Rodry deserved it, Jude too, and a lot of players. But I’m happy with the win and goals, even when I played badly.”
Rodrygo praised teammate Bellingham, after the England star set up the game’s second goal with a clever backheel.
“It’s very easy to play with Jude, with the movements he makes, the passes he gives you,” Rodrygo told Movistar. “The second assist was beautiful, I love playing with him.”
Coach Carlo Ancelotti dismissed concerns about a back injury for Bellingham — saying it was “nothing special” — and said improving the team’s defending was his primary concern.
“We don’t have any doubts about the players up front,” Ancelotti said. “We’ll try to fix the rest, and improve in every game. The efficiency we have in attack is incredible. We have to fix other things, but we’re in good form.”