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According to reports from Marca and Diario AS, Vinicius Junior is keen on becoming Real Madrid's penalty taker next season. Karim Benzema was the club's designated penalty taker in the recent past.
The Frenchman, however, has left the Madrid giants to join Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad. As a result, Los Blancos are looking for a new player to take up that responsibility and Vinicius is willing to step up to the plate.
The Brazilian has been one of the Madrid giants' best players since joining the club back in 2018 from Flamengo. He has so far made 225 appearances, scoring 59 goals and providing 64 assists across competitions. Vinicius scored 23 goals and provided 21 assists in 55 matches across competitions during the 2022-23 campaign.
Overall, the player has been crucial for Real Madrid in recent seasons and is one of the pillars of the attack. Hence, he could be in contention when Carlo Ancelotti looks to decide the team's penalty taker next season. Considering that Vinicius is almost an undisputed starter, he could be handed the important responsibility.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti spoke about the team's upcoming pre-season
Real Madrid are set to conduct their pre-season in the United States as they look to get the season off and running in a powerful manner. In a bid to do so, the club needs to utilize its pre-season to full effect.
Carlo Ancelotti is confident of doing so. The Los Blancos manager thinks that his team will be ready when the 2023-24 campaign kicks off. Speaking about the upcoming season, Ancelotti said (via Los Blancos' website):
"We've always felt good here. It's a beautiful place, we can train well, we have competitive matches where you can see where the team's current state is. It's a good opportunity to try new things, there are a lot of things to check out over the next few days. Everyone has returned in good condition. We're confident and looking forward to starting the season well."
Los Blancos will take part in a pre-season tournament as they look to prepare for the next season. An El Clasico against Barcelona is also on the cards and fans are excited for the mega fixture to go down.
