Champions League: Real Madrid's 'one man wrecking crew' Vinicius Jr compared to Ronaldinho by Owen Hargreaves

Vinicius Jr has been compared to Brazilian compatriot Ronaldinho after his recent displays for Real Madrid.

Former UEFA Champions League winner Owen Hargreaves made the comparison while speaking on TNT Sports, as he evaluated the form of the effervescent winger.

Vinicius features for Carlo Ancelotti's Real side away at RB Leipzig on Tuesday night in the Champions League last 16.

"At the weekend against Girona, he was a one-man wrecking crew," Hargreaves said.

"He was absolutely unbelievable; set up a couple of goals, scored a brilliant goal himself. He’s such a fabulous player.

"One v one, he’s one of the hardest players to play against. I just don’t think you can beat him. He’s got skill, a low centre of gravity, his end product has become absolutely unbelievable.

"He’s one of the funnest players to watch. You think more about Ronaldinho on that left-hand side. He’s like Ronaldinho but a little bit more explosive."

Vinicius has 12 goals to his name in all competitions so far and former Real striker Michael Owen thinks he is one of the game’s most outstanding talents.

“When I look at players and judge who the best players [are] in the world at the moment, this type of player has to be the best type.

“The people who strike fear into teams; who can take away from teams with great pace, great skill, and great finishing ability. He’s not renowned for his finishing, but he’s not a bad finisher at all.

“The only question mark is the order [of which is the best Real Madrid player]. Is it Vinicius, is it Bellingham? That’s a great debate, but he’s certainly one of the best players on planet Earth at the moment. He’s so dangerous,” Owen said.

Real are looking strong domestically, with a five point lead at the top of La Liga ahead of Girona, with Barcelona ten points adrift.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side are also hoping to reclaim the Champions League after Manchester City took the trophy from them last season.

Jude Bellingham has been the star man for Real so far this season, but with the England international facing time on the sidelines with a sprained ankle, Ancelotti will be looking to his other star names to step up.

“It’s still a good attack [without Bellingham], so don’t feel sorry for them now," Owen said.

"I really like Brahim Diaz; I watched him early on in his career and he was a top player. Always really comfortable on the ball.

“They’ve got a lovely mix at the moment; they’ve got so much energy in the team. It was an ageing team not so long ago, but they’ve really invigorated it with a lot of young players.

“I look at them and feel that they’re one of the danger teams to Manchester City, who are quite clearly the team to beat this season. When you look at the future, this team in all of Europe looks the most exciting.

“They’re inevitably going to add a centre-forward. If [Kylian] Mbappe goes there, and their goalkeeper will be fit soon - [Thibaut] Courtois - the centre-halves will be fit. This team has got longevity now.

"From an ageing team, now it looks like a team that’s going places,” Owen said.

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