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'Benzema is my idol, it's an honour to play with him' - Vinicius credits Madrid striker for aiding his development

Vinicius Junior has paid tribute to Karim Benzema for selflessly taking him under his wing when he first made the move to Real Madrid, while describing the striker as his "idol".

Los Blancos paid a reported €45 million (£41m/$53m) for Vinicius in May 2017, with the winger joining from Flamengo the following year when he turned 18.

Vinicius has already played 72 times for the club, but has struggled for consistency despite often catching the eye with his skilful style of play.

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He has started the 2020-21 campaign in impressive fashion, however, scoring the winning goal in the 1-0 victory over Real Valladolid, before getting the opener in a 2-0 win at Levante last weekend.