Vinicius Junior’s performance in Real Madrid’s 5-2 comeback win over Dortmund in the Champions League received much praise from experts.

“Even though he wasn’t at his best, Vinicius could still turn his opponents into statues,” commented UEFA reporter Graham Hunter at the Bernabeu on the evening of October 22. “He’s a truly outstanding player.”

Vinicius played the entire match, scoring a hat-trick to help Real beat Dortmund despite being two goals down. Two of his three goals were masterpieces that went through many Dortmund players. In the 86th minute, he dribbled about 70 meters along the field, before shooting from afar to make it 4-2. Hunter rated this goal as “world-class, worthy of being in the Pantheon of Kings.”

Vinicius after Real’s 5-2 win over Dortmund at the Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain on the evening of October 22, 2024. Photo: Reuters

Earlier, Vinicius had tapped the ball into an empty net to equalize 2-2 in the 62nd minute. In the second half’s injury time, the Brazilian star soloed past three away players, including Niklas Sule, Waldemar Anton and Pascal Gross, to score the final goal. This was Vinicius’ third hat-trick in his career, after he had scored three goals against Levante and Barca.

“Madrid belongs to Vinicius,” wrote Spanish newspaper El Pais. “Vinicius has overcome all opponents, taking advantage of Dortmund’s defensive weaknesses. His finishing skills are also excellent.”

Real’s pro-Marca newspaper wrote: “Vinicius is as precious as gold,” to imply that the 24-year-old striker is about to win his first Ballon d’Or in his career. In it, the author called Vinicius “the next Ballon d’Or winner.”

Barca’s pro-Mundo Deportivo newspaper published an article: “Real Madrid, from tragedy to joy thanks to Vinicius.” The article included a section where the home players were booed by the Bernabeu crowd before the second half, but thanks to Vinicius they were able to enjoy the joy.

Vinicius’ hat-trick was the 15th time a Real player had scored three or more goals in a Champions League match, surpassing Barca’s record of 14 hat-tricks. This was Vinicus’ first hat-trick in this arena, while Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record with Lionel Messi with seven hat-tricks. During this match, Vinicius also took off his shirt and raised it in celebration like Ronaldo or Messi did.

The world’s media also paid tribute to Vinicius’ performance. French newspaper Le Parisien said that the Brazilian striker had “destroyed all the suspense before the Golden Ball award ceremony on the evening of October 28”.

The British newspaper Guardian wrote that the 24-year-old striker “inspired Real’s 5-star comeback”, while German newspaper Welt commented that Vinicius was “the difference in the match”.

Vinicius, 1.76m tall, grew up at Flamengo before joining Real in 2018. He has scored 24 goals in 59 Champions League matches, including goals in two finals, in 2022 and 2024.

Last season, Vinicius scored 24 goals and 11 assists in 39 matches in all competitions, contributing greatly to Real winning the Champions League, La Liga, Spanish Super Cup and European Super Cup. He is therefore considered the number one candidate for the Golden Ball, ahead of Rodri, Jude Bellingham, Dani Carvajal and Lamine Yamal.