Vinicius Junior has had a stellar start to the season, scoring five goals for Real Madrid to help them lead La Liga. The 21-year-old has also built a legacy off the pitch. The Brazilian striker founded Instituto Vini Jr, an organization that aims to use technology and sport to educate Brazilian youth and ultimately make the country a more equal place.

The quality of public schools in Brazil leaves a lot to be desired. Wealthy families tend to send their children to expensive private schools, where they have the best possible chance of getting into the country’s federal universities, free of charge to students who score well. The fɑct that higher education is free in Brazil may suggest that everyone is socially mobile, but by paying for their children to attend exclusive private schools, parents Richer mothers can take advantage of the system effectively.

Vinicius knows how difficult it can be for poor children so he is trying to do something to help students who cannot afford a private education. His institute launched Base, an educational app that uses soccer as a vehicle to engage children. The app first launched at his alma mater in Rio, with plans to expand further next year.

“My first concern is helping these children achieve more through education,” says Vinícius. “Football is a dream, but wouldn’t it be great if we could help them get out of poverty by studying? My goal is to make it happen in the medium to long term. We need more doctors, lawyers, and engineers from the slums. We plan to give them a chance.

“There is still a big gap in literacy rates in Brazil. Good thing we launched the app at my school because I know what it’s like. Of course, I have a lot of fond memories of that time, but mostly about playing football! I just think I can do more and I’m doing more. We have plenty of examples of athletes doing just that. I have been inspired by what LeBron James, Lewis Hamilton, and Marcus Rashford are doing. So I started doing something for my neighborhood first, but who knows if it can grow all over Brazil.”

Vini and his family have always been supportive of São Gonçalo, his local area in Rio. When he was young, not yet making a lot of money as a footballer, his family made smaller donations and helped in any way they could. Now that he is a Real Madrid player and a Brazil international, he can do so much more. He is the sole investor in the institute, spending almost R$2 million with his own money to get it up and running.

“It is good to combine football and education. This app is what makes learning more fun. We’ve been working on it for a year and a half, and the pandemic has also made us see how important it is to bring better conditions to people in the community. There’s a huge educational gap [between classrooms] that we’re trying to help bridge. I visited with the kids a few months ago and I see how important this is, and how the kids feel better doing the activities,” he said.

“They used the app when they were in school. It has a lot of exercises and levels that they have to answer correctly to pass. We also run activities one-on-one with students, such as keeping sports as a foundation for math and Portuguese. But they learn more about social issues around the world, like how we need to treat the environment better and treat everyone equally.”

Bruna Ferreira Matos, an 8-year-old student at the school, was one of the children using the app. She is happy to be a part of it. “It has a lot of puzzles. I love it and I find it easier to learn with Base than with my books. I want to use it more often, like daily, because it’s so good.”

The school, named after Brazilian educator and philosopher Paulo Freire, was the first to receive the project. But Vini Jr and his staff plan to expand it next year. This is just the beginning.