At a glance
- Some pockets of the Bernabeu once again booed Vinicius Jr. during Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals.
- The Brazilian missed a one on one against MVP Manuel Neuer with the score 2-0.
- On Dutch television, however, ex-Real Madrid star Rafael van der Vaart called the Brazilian “horrible”.
Ex-Real Madrid attacking midfielder Rafael van der Vaart blasted Vinicius Jr. by calling him “horrible” following Tuesday’s 2-1 Champions League quarterfinal defeat to Bayern Munich.
“Vinicius is horrible. It bothers me to the extreme when I see it. I think it’s super sad because he’s a fantastic player,” Van der Vaart said, while commentating on Dutch TV station Ziggo.
“But as soon as he gets a little push, he throws himself expecting to see a red card for the opponent and then he gets up as if nothing had happened. It’s that part of him that I find sad,” the former Spurs man added.
Note that Van der Vaart was generally criticising Vinicius’ supposed playacting and trying to get rival players booked. Even to the harshest of critics, there are no doubts about his skills and talent
Still life is proving difficult for the Brazilian, and he was also booed by pockets of the Bernabeu crowd during the Bayern match.
Arbeloa once again had to defend Real Madrid star Vinicius
Arbeloa was asked about this in his prematch press conference ahead of Girona on Friday and said, “you know what I think of Vinicius”.
“What he means to me as a coach, as a Real Madrid player and for the performance he’s giving. The whistles are part of the demand of these fans. I see it as normal and natural. Others will notice a rarefied atmosphere. If there is one thing we’re noticing, it is the support of our fans. We cannot ask for anything more.
“If the team stood up and had the chances they had, it was because of how the Bernabéu pressured them. All the players feel the same,” Arbeloa added.
Also on Thursday, Vinicius was awarded March’s Player of the Month gong for four goals in five games, including braces against Manchester City and Real Madrid.
Comments like Van der Vaart’s will be water off a duck’s back, though. And Vinicius has more press concerns such as attempting to come back against Bayern on the continent.
