No Ballon d'Or, but a multi-millionaire fortune: How Vinicius Jr. spends his money

Vinicius Jr. was the big favourite to win the Ballon d'Or in 2024, but saw Spain's Rodri walk away with the trophy.

The Real Madrid star is still one of the best footballers on the planet, however. Not only that, he's also among the highest-paid... but he may just be on the cusp of being the highest paid athlete in the world!

In 2023, the star had his contract renewed with Real Madrid, with a considerable salary increase, of around €10.5 million per year ($11.2m/£8.9m), virtually doubling his yearly wage to €20.8m ($22.2m/£17.6m), as reported by Spanish newspaper Marca. But that figure could be set to skyrocket.

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But with the Saudi Pro League offering the 24-year-old €918 million (£785 million/$1 billion), for a five-season deal at Al-Ahli, €200 million (£171 million/$218 million), according to the likes of ESPN and Four Four Two, the young winger is going to have a lot more spending money in the coming years. Money that he can use to buy more...

Vini seems to always have his sights on the property market. At the beginning of 2024, the player bought a super mansion in Rio de Janeiro. The property is valued at 20 million reais ($3.6m/£2.8m/€3.4m) and has a heated pool, sauna, games room, elevator, nightclub and wine cellar, as reported by Extra.

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Another 'treat' the player reportedly allows himself is having a fleet of luxury cars.

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In addition to football, Vini Jr. has a passion for designer clothes and accessories. The winger will sometimes take to Instagram to share his tastes and preferences in the fashion world with his followers.

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He also loves traveling. In addition to vacations, he also travels on philanthropic missions, such as his trip to Morocco, where he undertook as a Goodwill Ambassador for Education for All, by UNESCO. In fact, a large portion of his earnings go to charitable causes.

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For Vini Jr. it is essential that companies and athletes do what they can to combat social inequality and racism. Since moving to Real Madrid, the footballer has been targeted by fans with racial abuse and has since become an advocate on this issue.

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He told GQ magazine: "It's difficult to position yourself and feel like you're talking to the walls. There are many texts, speeches, but little or zero punishment. The cases are repeated every weekend, with the same or new characters, but the routine of games means they end up quickly forgotten. Players need to command the process. I’m ready to help."

Vini Jr. signed his first contract with Flamengo when he was 16 years old. From then on, he and his family began to receive requests for help from friends and relatives in São Gonçalo, where the young man was born and raised.

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When he was sold to Real Madrid, in Spain, in 2018, the requests increased considerably. Victor Ladeira, executive director of the institute created by the athlete, told GQ magazine: "They discovered that he earned money in euros (laughs)."

The money made in the new deal was enough for Vini, his family and advisors to fulfil a dream: create a non-profit organization aimed at improving the lives of socially vulnerable young people.

The player's advisor, Victor Ladeira, spoke about the beginning of it all to GQ: "We didn't want to set up a location just in São Gonçalo and leave our operations restricted to that area. We sought to use a structure that already existed to help improve the system, with technology and innovation."

Thus, in 2021, the Vini Jr Institute was born. The institution began to finance (along with some sponsors) some Basic Technological Centers, throughout Brazil. The action has already benefited around five thousand elementary school students (1st to 5th year), in municipalities in Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and Pernambuco.

Football is the common thread of everything. In each of the schools, the Institute created a teaching environment completely different from traditional classrooms. The space includes synthetic grass, changing room lights, beanbags instead of desks, and a technological centre, with ten smartphones, a tablet for the teacher and a 50-inch television.

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But the initiative goes beyond physical space. The Institute developed an application that generates learning trails that keep track of the children's progress.

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Teachers follow everything online. "The teacher can identify the student’s difficulties through the app and address them at the core," said coordinator Andréa Xavier, as reported by GQ.

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Always aiming to promote social change and combat racism, Vini Jr.'s work attracted the attention of international organizations. At the end of 2023, he was awarded the Sócrates Award, given by the France Football magazine, to footballers who have conducted the best humanitarian work during the year.

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In an interview with the magazine, the athlete expressed his pride in his achievements in this area: "I say it was my first Ballon d’Or. At 23 years old, having this recognition only brings more encouragement to continue doing the right things. I know how proud my family was."

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In February 2024, Vini Jr. took a bigger leap into the world of humanitarianism, being named Goodwill Ambassador for Education by UNESCO. He is the second Brazilian to hold the position, after the iconic Pelé.

Regarding the title, he said: "Unesco will be another great ally in this mission. And now I can expand borders around the world. My work began in Brazil and will always have my country as its main objective. But UNESCO, for example, has already allowed me to travel to Morocco [in February] to spread the message of education," as stated in the press material for the organisation.

And he concluded: "It’s a citizen’s objective, not a football player’s. When my career is over, unfortunately, there is a long way to go, I will continue with the mission of impacting the lives of those in need."

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