Ancelotti says Vinicius will choose ‘glory’ at Madrid over Saudi money

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti said Vinicius Jr. will choose glory at the club over money. The Brazilian striker has received offers from Saudi Pro League clubs but the forward has decided to stay at Los Blancos.

According to reports by ESPN, Saudis made contact with the Brazilian’s representatives in December. Vini Jr. was in stellar form in the previous season and he was one of the front runners for the Ballon d’Or but in the end Manchester City’s Rodri bagged the prestigious award.

The striker has been in stellar form in the ongoing Champions League as he has scored seven goals in six matches and has also provided an assist.

Newspaper Diario AS reported on Monday that the Saudis would be willing to offer Vinicius a five-year contract worth €200 million per season, as well as a €300 million transfer fee, although the player’s contract at Madrid contains a €1 billion release clause.

“I understand everything in football,” Ancelotti said in his pre-match news conference on Tuesday, when asked if he’d understand Vinícius opting for a move to the Saudi Pro League. “I understood Toni Kroos retiring from football [last summer]. Not many people understood it, but I did. I understand everything.”

The Italian manager said Vinicius Jr. is happy at Real Madrid and he wants to achieve big things with the team.

“They’re individual decisions,” Ancelotti said. “But to me, the player [Vinicius] looks happy and excited about staying here and winning trophies with Real Madrid. I think he’s thinking about choosing glory.”

Madrid will take on Brest on Wednesday night and Ancelotti said they will be focused on their own match rather than worry about other results. Real Madrid is in 16th place in the Champions League standings with four wins and three losses.

“We’ll be focused on our game,” Ancelotti said, when asked if he’d be keeping an eye on the scores elsewhere on Wednesday. “The objective is to win, to be as high as possible in the table. Then we’ll have the [playoff] draw and let’s see what happens.”