Vinícius José Paixão de Oliveira Júnior, commonly known as Vinícius Júnior or Vinícius Jr, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a winger. Born in the São Gonçalo, a city in the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro, Vinícius began his professional career at Flamengo, where he made his senior debut in May 2017, at age 16. A few weeks later, Vinícius was the subject of a transfer to La Liga club Real Madrid, for whom he signed for in a national record for an U-18 player, €45 million deal, which was made effective after his 18th birthday.