Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti branded Vinicius Junior "the most influential player in world football" following his impressive performance against Liverpool on Tuesday night.
The Brazil international scored twice in Real Madrid's 5-2 victory over the Reds in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League affair at Anfield.
Liverpool raced into a two-goal lead at home, with Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah on the scoresheet, but Los Blancos went on to score five times without reply to secure a huge first-leg advantage.
Vinicius netted twice in the first half to make it 2-2 before Eder Militao and Karim Benzema (two) were on the scoresheet for the visitors in the second half.
© Reuters
Speaking during his post-match press conference, Ancelotti lavished praise on Vinicius, branding the Brazilian "the most influential player in world football".
"Right now he's the most influential player in world football. No other player has this consistency. He doesn't stop and keeps going. I hope he can continue like this," the Italian told reporters.
Vinicius has been in impressive form for Real Madrid during the 2022-23 campaign, scoring 18 goals and registering nine assists in 35 appearances in all competitions.
In La Liga, the South American has seven goals and four assists in 21 appearances, while he has managed six goals and two assists in this season's Champions League.
Vinicius has now scored 54 goals and registered 52 assists in 205 appearances for Real Madrid since his arrival at Bernabeu from Flamengo in July 2018.
© Reuters
Ancelotti, however, has insisted that his side still have plenty of work to do in the second leg at home despite boasting a strong advantage in the tie.
"We have gained an advantage from the first 90 minutes and now we have to manage the second 90 in Madrid well," he told reporters.
"Liverpool are a highly competitive team and unfortunately, the tie isn't over. Liverpool are a great team because they play at a high tempo and that's tough to come by in Europe. It's going to be tough for us.
"I remembered the semi-final against Manchester City (last year). It was inevitable that we'd have to suffer. We said to ourselves that we could struggle, but the important thing was to remain calm and keep our emotions under control."
Real Madrid will now switch their attention to La Liga, as they prepare to welcome Atletico Madrid to Bernabeu in the Madrid derby on Saturday evening.
Matt Law
