Vinicius Jr Or Pedri? Who is the better player?
It is always exciting when players from these two clubs compete against each other. The rivalry is old and has just got more bitter with time. In recent times after the departure of Neymar, Bale, Cristiano, Messi and Ramos it feels like El Clasico has lost its charm. However, in reality it did not lose anything instead it’s getting ready for future great rivalries to establish their legacy in Spain.
Two such promising players are Vinicius Jr of Real Madrid and Pedri from FC Barcelona. It has been a magical year for both these players as they contributed so much to their club and country. The Golden Boy of 2021 Pedri got praised for the number of matches he played while Vinicius picked up his form to Real Madrid standards in 2021.
Will Pedri or Vinicius Jr win the Ballon d'Or 1st... 🇪🇸🇧🇷🥇 pic.twitter.com/CTm9KioZ4z
— Sport360° (@Sport360) January 9, 2022
1: Personal Stats
The Brazilian Vinicius Jr is known to be quite efficient on the wing while Pedri is more of a midfielder. During their initial career in the 2020-21 season of La Liga the two players have scored the same amount of goals (3) and assists (3). The new season is going magical for Vinicius as he is on a goal-scoring streak for Real Madrid and he managed to gain the confidence of the fans of Madrid by winning the Champions League in 2022.
Overall Career Stats:
| Vini Jr | Pedri | |
| Games | 294 | 154 |
| Goals | 79 | 21 |
| Assists | 73 | 16 |
It’s clear that Vinicius Jr is clear of Pedri when it comes to goal contributions for the club. However both these play a very different role and it’s likely for a midfielder to have less G/A than a winger. Another important fact to note here is that Pedri is 2 years younger than Vinicius and he can learn to increase his G/A contributions in future.
In terms of Personal Stats, the Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr is the winner.
Vinicius Junior stats 2020/21 and 2021/22
— Martial🇬🇭 (@RmaOzil23) January 13, 2022
2020/21
👕49 games
⚽6 goals
🅰️ 7 assists
2021/22
👕27 games
⚽15 goals
🅰️9 assist
Improvement 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/bDBNGtDhSe
2: Titles
It would have been more fortunate for these two if they played in the prime era of Barcelona and Real Madrid. Not long ago these two clubs were winning the majority of the titles.
Vinicius Jr still has plenty in his trophy case as he won the 2x La Liga, 1x Champions League, 1x Super Cup, 2x FIFA CWC and other titles with Real Madrid. Meanwhile, the Golden Boy Pedri has won a only few titles with FC Barcelona as the recent years haven’t been too fruitful for them. Pedri has won a La Liga, Copa Del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup trophy to his name. The club didn’t have the best of their starts this year but it may soon change as Barcelona is the club destined to lift trophies.
3: International Career
Pedri had the most appearance for any player (73) in the club and international team. The critics of Euro 2020 termed Pedri as the best Spaniard on the pitch and some people termed him as ‘New Xavi’. The player contributed to Euro 2020 and the Tokyo Olympics but unfortunately, they couldn’t win. Despite having a young age Pedri’s contribution was great for his country. Spain had a tough time in the World Cup too as they lost to Morocco in the Round of 16 World Cup Qatar 2022.
The young Brazilian national has achieved more for his country especially in the youth team (U-20, U-17 and U-15). The player won the South American Championship twice with the youth squad and was the highest scorer for them in 2017. Vini is expected to make more appearances for them as he is starting to form good chemistry with his Brazilian teammates.
Pedri's last 12 months have been amazing 🤩
— GOAL (@goal) May 24, 2021
📅 Sep 27: Makes Barca debut
📅 Oct 20: Scores on UCL debut
📅 Nov 7: First La Liga goal
📅 March 25: Named 4th in #NXGN
📅 March 25: Makes Spain debut
📅 April 17: Wins Copa del Rey
📅 May 24: Named in Spain's squad for the Euros pic.twitter.com/xOZUlooPrx
🗣️ Pedri González: “I'm a little tired but at the age of 18, I have the strength to do so much more...” pic.twitter.com/u29WjDufM4
— Barça Worldwide (@BarcaWorldwide) July 3, 2021
The Brasil National team is stronger compared to the current Spanish Team and are always favorites to win the biggest titles. I
n future, Vinicius can win the World Cup with the help of great players such as Neymar, Jesus, Casemiro, Marquinhos and other stars in their squad.
It is difficult to decide the winner in this category as the recent contribution of Pedri for Spain has been marvellous while Vinicius won more with Brazil.
The way things stand Vinicius is the winner yet again.
Vinicius Junior with the Sul-Americano winners trophy, best player trophy and top scorer trophy. 7 goals in 8 games (3 assists too). pic.twitter.com/rxVr4x3FWi
— Escojar (@Escojar) March 20, 2017
4: Individual Honours
According to the pundits of football one of the best way is to compare their individual titles. If a player is actually good then he is always rewarded for his performance.
Individual Honours of Vinicius Jr:
- Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior Best Left-Winger: 2017
- South American U-17 Championship Best Player: 2017
- La Liga Player of the Month: November 2021
UEFA Champions League Team of the Season: 2021–22, 2022–23 - UEFA Champions League Young Player of the Season: 2021–22
- La Liga Team of the Season: 2021–22, 2022–23
- FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball: 2022
- Sócrates Award: 2023
Individual Honours of Pedri Gonzalez:
- UEFA Champions League Breakthrough XI: 2020
- UEFA European Championship Young Player of the Tournament: 2020
- UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 2020
- Trofeo Aldo Rovira: 2020–21
- Golden Boy: 2021
- Kopa Trophy: 2021
- IFFHS World’s Best Youth (U20) Player: 2021
- La Liga Team of the Season: 2021–22, 2022–23
Trofeo Aldo Rovira: 2020–21
Premi Barça Jugadors (Barça Players Award): 2021–22
Pedri has won some of the most prestigious awards in his youth. It has been a great year for him in 2023 and he is clear of Vinicius in this category.
Golden Boy Pedri adds the Kopa trophy for best U21 player to his collection ✨ pic.twitter.com/vlrHDiq7gX
— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 29, 2021
5: Club
Vinicius Jr experienced adult football in two different clubs. The player was signed from Flamengo to Real Madrid in 2017 which was the biggest move of his career. During his time with Flamengo, he caught the eye of Madrid scouts by performing exceptionally well. He scored 10 goals and made 4 assists in 49 appearances for them.
Flamengo is a top club of Brasil and being a part of it is a big achievement for many Brasilian players. Many skills that Vinicius Jr posses now were learned back during his time at Flamengo.
Pedri has been in Spain his whole life and has juggled between just two Spanish teams. The early career of Pedri isn’t well-decorated as compared to Vinicius Jr but he proved himself in Las Palmas before Barcelona set their eyes on him.
The club requires playmakers like Pedri after the departure of Lionel Messi. Pedri will get the first-team action for Barcelona as they need to rely more on the young players if they want to win titles.
Vinicius jumped because he didn’t want to step on the Real Madrid logo.
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 8, 2022
Respect 📈 pic.twitter.com/Bjcgq9KyA9
Is Vinicius Jr better than Pedri?
The young Barcelona Golden Boy is a master of his art at just the age of 21. People can clearly see that he is always confident on the ball and knows his next moves just like Xavi or Iniesta did in their early careers. The journey is long and there is plenty of room for improvement and it looks like Pedri is here to stay.
The Real Madrid star is performing great in 2023 for his club and country. In the current La Liga season, he has paired well with the new signings and filling the goal gap after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo. Vinicius is highly skilled and talented. He knows how to work the ball against defenders to convert goals for his club. The best part about him is his unmatched speed on the field. The new trio of Vinicius, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo is highly promising as they are the key players for Real Madrid in 2023-24.
Based on the above comparisons Vinicius is ahead of Pedri. Pedri has a big advantage over Vini as he is 2 years younger than him and can overtake him in the coming future. If we are to compare them based on the current scenario there is a less chance of Pedri taking over Vinicius in the coming future.
VINICIUS JUNIOR WHAT A GOAL 🔥 pic.twitter.com/6tdAElQ1QS
— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 8, 2022
