Real Madrid dressing room unhappy with Vinicius Jr’s behaviour
Suraj Radia
- 13 Sept 2022 19:35 BST
- 3 min read
Vinicius Junior has been the star of Real Madrid’s season so far but the Brazilian’s conduct on the pitch has reportedly caused concern in the dressing room.
The 22-year-old has grabbed four goals and an assist in Real’s opening five games of the season, leading them to a 100% start and shooting them to the top of La Liga.
The latest of his goals came in the recent 4-1 win over Mallorca but the forward’s temper flared with opposition manager Javier Aguirre after he was heard telling his players to ‘hit’ Vinicius during the game.
Vinicius had to be calmed down by Carlo Ancelotti but the youngster was also criticised by some for provoking the Mallorca players.
A report by Cadena SER explained how Vinicius would wind up his opponents by making comments such as ‘What? You think you are going to win?’ and celebrating his goal with a dance, which some considered disrespectful.
It is not the first time Vinicius has been accused of poor sportsmanship and several Madrid players reportedly have spoken ‘a thousand times’ to him about controlling his behaviour.
They have warned Vinicius that his constant provocation would get players to ‘hurt him’ and there is a belief that his behaviour does not reflect the image that Real would like to send out to the world.
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Ancelotti plays down Vinicius issue
While privately there may be concerns about Vinicius’ conduct, Ancelotti insisted that there was no issue despite trying to calm him down on the pitch.
"I see a great player demonstrating his talent - that's it," the Real manager said before his side’s Champions League game against RB Leipzig.
The harrasment Vinícius Jr. suffers from grown men on a football pitch for simply wanted to play football is disgusting. Javier Aguirre was heard by Vini asking his players to break his legs hence why he got mad. Investigate @realmadridpic.twitter.com/4i0s3HUDv0
— Gina 🏆 (@Serginaoo) September 13, 2022
"I'm not deaf and I'm not stupid, I can hear what is being said but this isn't a topic for us or for Vinicius.
“He has extraordinary quality and it's normal that opponents try to stop him in his tracks and the rules of the game are there to protect all players, not just Vinicius."
