Vinicius Junior has expressed his desire to stay at Real Madrid "forever" following his man-of-the-match display in Wednesday's 2-0 win over Chelsea in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
The 22-year-old has established himself as a key player during his five years at the Santiago Bernabeu and is widely regarded as one of the best wingers in world football.
Vinicius is enjoying one of the best scoring spells of his career this season, having already netted 21 times in 45 appearances across all competitions including six goals in nine Champions League games.
However, the Brazilian's playmaker qualities were required against Chelsea, and he set up both of Real Madrid's goals scored by Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio – registering his 15th and 16th assists of the season – to help the holders secure a two-goal first-leg advantage.
Vinicius has now been directly involved in 20 goals in his last 20 Champions League appearances, scoring 10 times and registering 10 assists, and the winger has spoken about his hunger to be in top condition for the "special" games in Europe's premier club competition.
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Speaking to reporters after the match, Vinicius said: "Every player who pulls on this jersey know that playing in the Champions League is special at this club, especially at the Bernabeu when the fans get right up for it. At Madrid, you have to play with that desire in the Champions League.
"I train with [Antonio] Pintus (fitness coach) and then at home with my personal trainer so I'm in the best possible shape for these games. At this stage of the season, other players tend to dip a bit and I always try and increase my levels."
Vinicius added: "We played very well (against Chelsea), we pressured well and played as well as we did last season.
"It was one of the best games of the season so far and it's great to win at home. Now it's time to think about the second leg and remember that we have to keep a level head."
In a separate interview for Spanish news outlet El Partidazo de COPE, Vinicius – who has just over 12 months remaining on his contract – revealed that he is keen to spend his entire career at Real Madrid.
"I'd love to stay at Real Madrid forever. This is the best club in the world. To play in the Champions League is something special," said Vinicius as quoted by journalist Fabrizio Romano.
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Real Madrid have put themselves in a strong position to book their place in the Champions League semi-finals for a fourth successive year, but manager Carlo Ancelotti has insisted that there is still work to be done in the second leg at Stamford Bridge.
"Don't forget that Chelsea are a good team with good players," Ancelotti told BT Sport. "We won 2-0 and took advantage of this game. It is not done yet.
"We need to fight and sacrifice at Stamford Bridge. This is normal, it is the quarter-final of the Champions League. We are satisfied for the game. It was a good game and we need to be ready for the next one.
"When we played against 10 men they put in a low block and it was not easy to find a solution. We spent a lot of energy in the game to press high. At the end, we were not so fresh to find a solution. But the result and performance were good.
"I know football really well. My players understand there is another 90 minutes to play. It will be difficult and we have to be ready."
Real Madrid will now turn their attention to Saturday's La Liga encounter away against Cadiz before travelling to London for the second leg with Chelsea next Tuesday.
Oliver Thomas
