Last season, Vinícius Jr. scored 22 goals, with 19 assists in 58 games in all competitions. This is below par for a player of his quality. His club, Real Madrid, also did not win a trophy, which resulted in Xabi Alonso replacing Carlo Ancelotti in their dugout this summer.
Despite not being in form, Vinícius is being hotly pursued by the Saudi Pro League. According to talkSPORT, "Saudi dealmakers are considering a world-record bid for Vinicius Jr. Saudi chiefs are prepared to make a world record offer in the region of €350million.
"Vinicius Jr has also been offered around €1bn [£864m], including bonuses, across a proposed five-year contract sent in writing as a non-binding bid. Vinicius Jr has been earmarked for Al Ahli."
The Saudi Pro League has already managed to bring Cristiano Ronaldo to Al-Nassr and keep him there with a new contract this summer. However, they are desperate to sign more big names. The Saudis have pursued Kylian Mbappé and Mohamed Salah recently, too.
Could Vinicios Jr. leave Real Madrid for the Saudi Pro League?
Vinícius intends to stay at Real Madrid, and he is only 26. Therefore, it would take a world record contract offer to tempt him away from the club. The Brazilian has won the Champions League twice and La Liga three times with Los Blancos. He is also sure to win more major honors if he stays at the Bernabéu.
The forward was also a runner-up for the Ballon d'Or last year. The award is likely to go to Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembélé this time around. However, Vinícius will fancy his chances of winning it in the future, but this would be almost impossible if he moves to the Saudi Pro League.
His current contract at Real Madrid expires in 2027, so Vinícius will be expecting a new offer soon from his club. With the money that is available to him in the Saudi Pro League, this could be a very good bargaining tool for Vinícius with Los Blancos.
The top five largest sports contracts in history
5. Cristiano Ronaldo - Al-Nassr - $536,336,818 - 2023–2025
Ronaldo left Manchester United after conducting an explosive interview with the journalist Piers Morgan. The player's comments criticizing the club led to him being released. Ronaldo was hoping that another top European club would snap him up, but he ended up having to settle for the Saudi Pro League. Albeit on an astronomical salary.
4. Lionel Messi - Barcelona - $674,000,000 - 2017–2021
Inter Miami's current star also makes the list with his contract when he was at his prime with Barcelona. His contract, however, contributed to the club's financial problems, and Messi had to leave at the end of it for Paris Saint-Germain.
3. Shohei Ohtani - Los Angeles Dodgers - $700,000,000 - 2024–2033
The first non-soccer player in the top five is the baseball player Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Japanese designated pitcher and hitter signed an unprecedented 10-year contract in 2024, which was a world record at the time. This long-term contract is starting to become more prevalent in soccer. Chelsea, who have American owners, is also signing players to similar lengthy deals, but with far less value.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo - Al-Nassr - $710,030,000 - 2025–2027
Ronaldo makes the list twice with his recent contract extension with Al-Nassr. Following his final Saudi Pro League game last season, the forward posted a cryptic message on his social media accounts. This led to speculation that he could be on his way out of Al-Nassr, but it was probably just a power play in contract negotiations.
1. Juan Soto - New York Mets - $765,000,000 - 2025–2039
The current largest contract in sports history is with another baseball player, Juan Soto. It may not be a title Soto holds for long, given players in all sports can command higher and higher salaries. However, Soto probably would not care as he is more than set for life for himself and his family for generations with this deal.