Vinicius Junior has revealed how he played a key role in bringing Jude Bellingham to Real Madrid this summer.
Los Blancos were heavily linked with a move for the England international, on the back of his rising progress at Borussia Dortmund, alongside transfer interest from Liverpool.
Following Liverpool’s move to drop out of the race for Bellingham, Real Madrid were able to push ahead to secure their No.1 transfer target, as part of €103m switch from the Bundesliga giants.
Bellingham’s start to life in Madrid has been sensational, with 10 goals from his first 10 games in all competitions, with the 20-year-old instantly adapting to the demands of playing for Carlo Ancelotti’s team.
However, despite the huge sums involved in securing a deal with Dortmund, Brazilian star Vinicius Jr also played his part in convincing Bellingham to make the move to Madrid.
“I didn’t know Bellingham but I knew that other teams wanted him so I texted him”, as per an interview with L’Equipe.
“I did the same with [Eduardo] Camavinga, texting him for months and telling him that Real Madrid is the best club in the world.
“Juni Calafat [Real Madrid’s chief scout] knows that if I can help him, I will.”
Bellingham and Vinicius Jr are both currently away on international duty, with England facing Italy in Euro 2024 qualifying action, and Brazil up against Uruguay in a 2026 World Cup qualifier.