A few weeks later, Vinícius was the subject of a transfer to La Liga club Real Madrid, for whom he signed in a £38 million deal, which was a national record for an U-18 player.

Hailing from a poor Catholic family,[9] Vinícius went to live in Abolição with his uncle, Ulisses, to shorten the distance to Ninho do Urubu (the "Vultures' Nest").

[10] Between 2007 and 2010, Vinícius attended futsal classes at Flamengo's school in São Gonçalo at the Canto do Rio, a famous club located in the centre of Niterói.

[14] This contract renewal was reported as being part of the transfer process of Vinícius to Real Madrid, an agreement reached between the two clubs in Gávea that week with an obligation to sell the young player in July 2018.

[26] Vinícius made his first start on 31 October in a 4–0 Copa del Rey away victory against Melilla,[27] contributing with assists for both Marco Asensio and Álvaro Odriozola in what Marca recognised as a Man of the Match performance.

Vinícius started the 2021–22 season by scoring Real Madrid's fourth goal in a 4–1 away victory over Alavés on the opening day of the La Liga campaign.

[44] On 21 February 2023, Vinícius scored two first-half goals to power Real Madrid's 5–2 comeback win at Anfield against Liverpool in the first leg of their Champions League knockout stage round of 16 tie.

[45][46] On 9 May 2023, Vinícius made a significant contribution to Real Madrid's performance in the first leg of the semi-final against Manchester City, scoring a remarkable long-range goal in the 36th minute.

[47] Alongside teammates Rodrygo and Karim Benzema, he created numerous opportunities, showcasing Real Madrid's counter-attacking prowess against Manchester City's dominant possession.

[55] On 25 August 2023, Vinícius sustained an injury to his right biceps femoris muscle during a league match against Celta, a game that Real Madrid ultimately won 1–0.

[70] The following day, he assisted Kylian Mbappé's opener and converted a penalty in a 3–0 final win over Pachuca, as Madrid were crowned the inaugural FIFA Intercontinental Cup champions.

[71] On 22 January 2025, Vinícius scored his 100th and 101st goals for Real Madrid in a 5–1 Champions League win over Red Bull Salzburg, becoming the 23rd player to achieve this feat for the club.

[84] On 24 March 2022, Vinícius scored his debut goal for the national team, in a 4–0 home victory against Chile in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification match at the Maracanã Stadium.

[89] On 26 March 2024, Vinícius served as captain of the national team for the first time in a friendly match against Spain at the Santiago Bernabéu, his club's home ground.

[92][93] Shortly after his arrival at Real Madrid in July 2018, ESPN journalist Dermot Corrigan described Vinícius as a "zippy left winger or second striker".

[99][102][103][104][excessive citations] Regarded as a promising young player,[96][97][105] he is considered to be a dynamic, intelligent, hard-working, and nimble winger, with a low centre of gravity, as well as impressive passing and awareness.

Although he is also capable of scoring goals himself,[96][98][101] his shooting and goalscoring were initially cited by pundits as areas in need of improvement,[98][103] as his lack of end product was often a source of criticism in the media in his first few seasons at Real Madrid.

"[111] The club's manager Carlo Ancelotti also praised him for his defensive work-rate and positioning, in addition to his creative abilities[112] and talent, noting that he was able to improve upon his tactical knowledge and physical condition throughout the course of the season,[41] as well as his finishing.

[117][128] In a few isolated incidents in 2023, Vinícius was subjected to racist slurs and chants from football fans in Spain, including an effigy of him being hanged from a bridge in Madrid.

[131] In response, Vinícius condemned La Liga for what he perceived as normalization of racism, and advocated for more stringent measures and penalties to combat racist behaviour.

[132] On 22 May 2023, Real Madrid released an official statement strongly condemning the racist abuse against Vinícius, viewing it as a direct attack on the democratic coexistence model of Spain; the club reported the incident as a "hate crime" to the Attorney General's Office, reserving its right to act as a private prosecutor in any ensuing proceedings.

[137] Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva condemned racism and expressed his solidarity towards Vinícius while urging FIFA and other responsible football bodies to take the strongest actions possible.

[138] Brazil's iconic Christ the Redeemer statue switched off its lights in a show of support for Vinícius following racial slurs from Valencia fans at the Mestalla Stadium in Spain.

"[140] In Rio de Janeiro, representatives of more than 150 activist groups and non-profits delivered a letter to Spain's consulate, demanding an investigation into the league and its president.

[141] Flavio Dino, Brazil's minister of justice threatened Spain with applying principle of extraterritoriality over the Vinícius racism case, a penal code that protects Brazilian's human rights.

[142] Various sporting figures from around the world, including Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton, coach Xavi, coach Carlo Ancelotti, pundit Rio Ferdinand, Real Madrid Femenino, and Real Madrid Baloncesto, as well as footballers Didier Drogba, Kylian Mbappé, Iñaki Williams, Raphinha, Ronaldo, Neymar, and Rafael Leão showered him array of praises and support.

[145][146] He also received awards from Rio's legislative assembly and city council and his footprints were added to the stadium's walk of fame, beside those of Brazilian greats such as Pelé, Garrincha and Ronaldo.

[154][155][156] In November 2024, he conducted a DNA test which found out he had roots with the Tikar people from Cameroon and he has been duly presented with the certificate by Confederation of Brazil Football CBF.