Never before had a club made such a payment for a 16-year-old, and his performances at a high level are still a mystery, as he did not make his top-flight debut for Flamengo in the Brazilian league until the 14th of May.
The youngster beat records set by Neymar and Gabriel Jesus to become the youngest footballer to ever play in the Brazilian league. By then, he already had the top clubs in the world behind him.
Real Madrid have swooped in ahead of everyone else to sign Brazil's latest star, but Vinicius will stay in Brazil until July 2019, though he will be able to play for Real Madrid before that if both clubs agree.
The amount paid by the 'Blancos' completely breaks the market. Fellow Brazilian Pato was the most expensive young promise until now, as AC Milan purchased the then-17-year-old striker from International for 22 million euros, back in 2007.
In 2006, Arsenal paid Tottenham 10,5 million euros for Walcott, who was only 16 at the time. Gareth Bale was transferred before turning 18 the same summer from Southampton to Tottenham. Spurs paid 14,7 million euros for the Real Madrid man.
It is safe to say, though, that no signing of a child prodigy has ever been this expensive. We will see if it works out for Real Madrid...