Meet the Brazilian wonderkid Real Madrid hope will be the new Neymar

The 17-year-old has travelled from Brazil to watch his future team in action against their fierce domestic rivals. Real Madrid signed him, agreeing to let him develop at Brazilian side Flamengo before being presented at the Bernabeu next summer. Depending on his development, this could be put back until the summer of 2019.

At £38 million, Vinicius is the seventh most expensive player in Real's history, and the most expensive teenager ever. No pressure. Is he worth it? He had already starred for Brazil at both under-15 and under-17 level, but at club level he has only made 32 appearances in total, coming off the bench mostly and scoring four goals.

Real Madrid are hoping he will get more minutes to develop his game and they even have former Brazil scout Paulo Henrique Xavier acting as a career chaperone for the youngster. The 'Blancos' are certainly investing in a player they believe has the potential talent and star power to rival fellow Brazilian Neymar and take Cristiano Ronaldo's place in the team.

In fact, much like Neymar and Ronaldo, Vinicius plays as a left forward, cutting inside on his right foot when given the chance. When Real Madrid's No 7 retires, that position will be vacant, unless Neymar is brought in first...