After missing out on the Ballon d'Or, could Vinicius Jr be swayed by $1 billion offer elsewhere?

Brazil and Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr surprisingly finished second at the recent Ballon d'Or to Manchester City's Rodri despite an electrifying campaign in the Spanish capital.

After producing a Ballon d'Or type campaign and not winning the trophy, could the Brazilian go on the hunt for a major contract elsewhere?

The lure of playing with Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, and Rodrygo might not be enough to keep him in Madrid much longer after his ridiculous contract offer from the Saudi Pro League.

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The Real Madrid star scored 24 goals and assisted 11 in 39 games last season, earning himself a contract offer of $1 billion (£778,830,000/€907,664,000), which would make him the highest-paid footballer in history.

According to The Sun, the Saudi Public Investment Fund is behind the deal and offered Vinicius Jr a five-year contract worth nearly £300 million ($385,193,174/€349,625,977) a year at the start of the season.

The Brazilian would earn £24,906,189 ($31,978,980/€29,026,168) a month, £5,747,582 ($7,379,764/€6,698,346) a week, £821,083 ($1,054,251/€956,906) a day, £34,211 ($43,926/€39,870) an hour, £570.20 ($732.12/€664.52) a minute, and £9.50 ($12.19/€11.07) a second.

The Saudi PIF owns 75% of Al Ahli, Al Ittihad, Al Hilal, and Al Nassr. With Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr, Karim Benzema at Al Ittihad, and Neymar at Al Hilal, PIF will try and persuade Vinicius Jr to join Al Ahli, linking up with Roberto Firmino and Riyad Mahrez.

However, Real Madrid won't let their star man leave that easily, with President Florentino Perez putting an £830 million ($1,065,701,115/€967,298,537) release clause on his head and manager Carlo Ancelotti saying: "I can guarantee that there's NOTHING into it. It's pure speculation," the Business Standard reports.

Reuters reports that Vinicius Jr will also be offered a separate ten-year contract to become an ambassador for the 2034 World Cup, which is set to be held in Saudi Arabia. Those numbers are yet to be confirmed.

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A formal offer has not been submitted, but the Brazilian hasn't dismissed the idea of moving to Saudi Arabia. Does he feel threatened by the addition of Kylian Mbappe at Real Madrid? A player who likes to play off the left and has to become the new main man.

To start the season, the Vini Jr. and Mbappe combination has been thriving in La Liga. Vinicius has scored five goals and provided four assists, while Mbappé has collected six goals and one assist.

Vinicius dismissed the reports that he wasn't happy because of Mbappe, saying: "I'm always happy to be a Real Madrid player, very happy." He added: "I hope the president lets me play here for a very long time because I love this club."

The Brazilian joined Real Madrid from Flamengo in 2018. He has played 279 games, scored 91 goals, and provided 82 assists. He has won 12 major trophies for Los Blancos.

For Vinicius Jr, it's between two things – money or legacy. Should he move to Saudi Arabia, or should he stay to fight for more titles in Madrid? Let us know in the comments!

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