Vinícius Júnior's performance against Manchester City helped the winger achieve a Champions League milestone previously held by Brazilian greats, Neymar and Kaká.
Vinícius Júnior might not have found the back of the net in Real Madrid's 2–3 comeback victory against Manchester City, but he assisted two goals in the final eight minutes of the match to deliver his team's first ever win at the Etihad. His shot set up Brahim Díaz's late equalizer and his ball to Jude Bellingham sealed the match in the 92nd minute.
At age 24, Vinícius Júnior now has the most goal contributions (24) by any Brazilian player in the history of the Champions League knockout stage. Neymar and Kaká stayed atop the history books for years with their 22 goal contributions, but the Real Madrid winger is now the record-holder.
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Check out how Vinícius Júnior's Champions League knockout stage performances rank compared to the two Brazilian legends:
Vinícius Júnior can still make even more Champions League knockout stage history this season. The winger is just three assists away from surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo's all-time record (15) in the UCL knockout stage.
Should Real Madrid make it to the Champions League final, Vinícius Júnior needs to score only once to become just the third player in history to score three goals or more in Champions League finals. Only Cristiano Ronaldo (4) and Gareth Bale (3) have done so.
Before the Brazilian can look too far ahead, though, he first must help Real Madrid get past Manchester City in the second leg of the Champions League knockout phase playoff tie on Feb. 19.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Vinicius Junior Surpasses Neymar in Champions League History Books.
