Vinicius Junior admitted that he had to "follow my heart" when he signed for Real Madrid, turning down interest from rivals Barcelona in the process.
The Brazilian signed with Real Madrid in May 2017, although his transfer from Flamengo did not go through until after his 18th birthday in July 2018.
Vinicius instantly became the subject of plenty of pressure, having become the second-most expensive player in the history of Brazilian football behind only Neymar.
Like his countryman, Vinicius drew interest from Barcelona after breaking out in Brazil, but the now 19-year-old says that he knew that moving to Real Madrid was the best choice for his career.
"I thought it was not true, I thought they were just rumours from the newspapers," Vinicius told AS. "I had proposals from Madrid and Barça too. My father told me that I had to choose and I had to follow my heart."
He added:" [It was] incredible. In Brazil there is nothing like it, it was a very special day. I was very nervous on the day of the presentation because I had to speak Spanish and I was not yet studying. In addition, Ronaldo came only for the presentation A football legend like him.
"I was very happy. It was one of the happiest days of my life.?
The winger had an up-and-down debut season, featuring 18 times in La Liga while making a further 13 appearances in cup and Champions League play.
Vinicius finished with four goals in his debut season as he also ended up breaking through with Brazil's national team.
The teenager admitted that he struggled to adapt to life at Real Madrid, at least initially, but the help of compatriots Marcelo and Casemiro eased the transition.
"When I arrived it was very difficult because it was a change of life. I thought I was not going to get it, because it is difficult to be away from the people you love," he said. "When my family arrived everything was quieter. Now I live alone."
"[Casemiro and Marcelo] helped me a lot, since they had been through the same thing that I was going through. They always give me advice on how to do things well on and off the field."
Now settled at Real Madrid, Vinicius has made 10 appearances under Zinedine Zidane this season, scoring in a 2-0 win over Osasuna in September.
And Vinicius says he now expects to remain in Madrid for the long-haul as he looks to lock up a more regular role under Zidane.
"My family is everything to me and they always do everything possible to make me happy. If I play football better. I see Vinicius of the future in Madrid for a long time, who will win almost everything here and it will be very big. I can spread joy to the people around me."
