Vinicius Junior has sent Gabriel Magalhaes a message on social media ahead of Brazil’s opening clash of the international break. Venezuela will lock horns with the Seleção Canarinho at the Estadio Monumental de Maturin on Thursday night as both sides look to secure World Cup qualification.
Brazil will be hoping to pick up from where they left off after storming past Peru in a four-goal thriller last month. As for Venezuela, they’ll be determined to return to winning ways after suffering a 2-1 defeat to Paraguay.
Nevertheless, ahead of the tie, Dorival Junior had a few days on the training pitches to work with the likes of Vinicius Jr and Gabriel. Ederson (Manchester City), Murillo (Nottingham Forest), André (Wolverhampton), Andreas Pereira (Fulham), Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle), Lucas Paquetá (West Ham United) and Savinho (Manchester City) from the Premier League contingent were also called up.
In the build-up to Thursday night’s qualifier, the Gunners defender uploaded a selection of training photos to his Instagram, chalking up nearly 100,000 likes and over 400 replies. Vinicius Jr showed his appreciation for Gabriel, leaving a red heart emoji in the comment section.
The Real Madrid star’s message quickly sparked speculation, with numerous Arsenal supporters begging for him to swap the Santiago Bernabeu for the Emirates Stadium. While Vinicius Jr may have a contract which keeps him in the Spanish capital until June 2027, he’s questioned his future, according to Spanish outlet SPORT.
The report states that the 24-year-old winger feels unfairly treated by some referees, who he believes persecute him more than protect, and rival fans. That said, SPORT outlines that Real Madrid are not interested in selling Vinicius Jr unless he asks to be sold.
And, the Brazilian has only committed his future to Los Blancos in recent times. After scoring a second-half hat trick in Real Madrid’s 5-2 win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League last month, he told reporters: “I’m still only 24.
“I want to stay here forever and contribute as much as possible to this team, which has given me everything since I arrived here. [Real Madrid coach Carlo] Ancelotti told me to keep it up, that I can always do more.
“But we have to improve and play like this from the off, otherwise the coach won’t be able to take it. This is our competition and we want to win it again.”
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