Vinícius Júnior reveals Zinedine Zidane's words of wisdom | OneFootball

Vinícius Júnior says Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has told him to take no notice of what people say about him.

The Brazilian starlet joined Madrid from Flamengo last summer and after beginning his career with the club’s Castilla team, he went on to make 31 senior appearances, scoring three goals.

And speaking to Jornal Extra, the 18-year-old has reflected on his first year in the Spanish capital.

“Zidane talks to me a lot and tells me to keep working because I’m very young. He also tells me not to listen to what other people say about me, to just pay attention to the coaching staff and my family because I am going to improve,” he said..

“My life changed a lot, everyone wanted to be by my side and also close to my family, it was a big change.

“I left Flamengo because I thought it was the right time to do it. I had little room for improvement there, two months in Madrid are better than one full year in Brazil, the training sessions are different, nobody wants to lose and there are players like Ramos or Benzema who are older than 30 years old but work harder than every single player.

“You also improve by being close to the best players of the world.”

The Brazilian says Los Blancos captain Sergio Ramos has also been a big influence on him during his time at the club.

“He’s a true leader, he knows when it’s the right time to talk to you and help you,” he said.

“Ramos, Marcelo, Varane, Modric… all of them support their team-mates a lot.”