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Notes & Quotes: January 10, 2019

Brahim reflects on Madrid debut, Solari believes Vinicius is improving and Butragueño praises Vinicius

Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images

Brahim reflects fondly on his Real Madrid debut at the Bernabéu

Newcomer Brahim Diaz commented on his Real Madrid debut on Wednesday against Leganés, where he come on as Vinicius’ substitution in the late minutes of the match.

“Making my debut at the Bernabéu is great. This is a dream since I was a child.”

“Winning makes the dream greater, but I take everything in peace. I will hang my debut shirt in my room.”

While his debut was only brief, it was certainly a big moment in Brahim’s young career. It’s always good seeing a young player realize their dream and that they are happy to be at the club.

No doubt, as the season progresses, Brahim will get chances to show what he is capable of and hopefully he will only get better as he develops.

Solari praises Vinicius’ performance and believes he is progressing well

Real Madrid manager Santi Solari was interviewed after Real’s 3-0 win over Leganés on Wednesday, the first leg of their Copa Del Rey round. He praised Vinicius and his performance, which included a goal.

“It was a very good performance. Vinicius is making huge strides.”

“He’s always had the talent, but to develop it at the Bernabéu surrounded by wonderful players speaks volumes about his confidence, rawness and the enjoyment he exudes with the ball at his feet.”

Vinicius also looked great over the weekend despite the 2-0 loss to Sociedad, in fact he was probably the only threatening player on the pitch for Real on Sunday. He finally got his payoff with a goal and put in another good performance for the club.

With so many of the attacking players out, Vinicius has been looked at to try and patch the hole on the left side. He has certainly passed both tests so far and seems to be progressing well, which Solari indeed recognized.

Butragueño praises Vinicius’ performance at the Bernabéu

Real Madrid director and club legend Emilio Butragueño was interviewed by beIN Sports after Real’s midweek win and took the opportunity to recognize Vinicius’ performance.

“To play like this in this stadium you have to have personality, especially when you’re a striker.”

“We must not forget that he is 18 years old.”

It certainly is not easy to be relied upon to contribute to a club like Real Madrid at just 18 years of age, but Vinicius has been up to the task so far. He already looks much better and dangerous than he did early on in the season.

Vinicius clearly has loads of potential and is getting plenty of praise from Brazilian legends like Roberto Carlos and other prominent figures within Real. It is up to him to maximize that potential and show he belongs, in theory he will only get better as he matures as a player.

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