Real Madrid target Vinicius makes Flamengo debut aged 16

Vinicius Junior, the wonderkid tipped to join Real Madrid, has made his professional debut for Flamengo at the age of 16.

The forward came on to replace Orlando Berrio with eight minutes remaining of Flamengo’s 1-1 home Serie A draw against Atletico Mineiro on Saturday.

Reports in Spain suggest a deal is already done for Vinicius to join Zinedine Zidane’s side in a €45million transfer when he turns 18 in June 2018, beating Barcelona to his signature.

Vinicius has starred at youth level for Flamengo and for Brazil’s Under-17s but had not previously made a senior appearance.

The high-profile youngster’s appearance came in the first league match of Flamengo’s season and his displays will be subject to huge scrutiny from here.

Vinicius asked for the shirt of Atletico’s Robinho after the full-time whistle, explaining that the former Madrid attacker is his idol.

He scored seven goals for his victorious Brazil side in the South American Under-17 championships earlier this year.