Vinicius Junior is a world class talent, in a world where Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, and Erling Haaland steal the headlines, the 22-year-old winger has shown all his skill at every level. Recently the former Flamengo star has had to deal with nasty comments made by opposing supporters from the stands, many being racial slurs.
It has been a systematic problem in LaLiga over the years as fans have gone as far as throwing bananas at black players. Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti is fuming over this as some of that “lack of respect” is spilling over on the field where Vinicius Junior has been the brunt of some very vicious fouls that the match officials are not calling.
After Real Madrid’s 2-0 win at Athletic Club on Sunday, Ancelotti spoke to the press and aired his grievances on behalf of one of his best players, Ancelotti stated that he wants to see the refs, fans, and pundits all show more respect to his Brazilian star.
Carlo Ancelotti defends Vinicius Junior
“I told [Vinicius] to play his game,” Ancelotti said in the post-match press conference. “He’s a great player first of all. But he’s very sensitive … everyone pushes him. Opponents kick him, opposition fans, sometimes referees. Today he got a yellow card, but he got kicked a lot.
“We have to remember he’s very young and he’s under pressure from everyone. Sometimes maybe he loses his focus, but he’s very young. I love him. We want him to be respected by everyone a bit more.”
Real Madrid are three points back of Barcelona at the top of LaLiga standings and are in the round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League where they will play Liverpool.