Once again involved in a major controversy on the pitch at Valencia, Vinicius Junior was not spared by Thibaut Courtois and the other leaders of Real Madrid after the hard-fought 2-1 win.
Real Madrid made a strong start to their 2025 campaign. Already back on the pitch after their final match of 2024, played on December 22 against FC Sevilla, Carlo Ancelotti’s team travelled to Mestalla to face FC Valencia on Friday. In this hostile stadium, where achieving a positive result is far from easy, it took until the final minutes of added time to see the Madrid side claim all three points, despite being a man down since the 79th minute. Indeed, abandoned by Vinicius Junior, who was guilty of another reprehensible act, Luka Modric and Jude Bellingham had to step up and save the team.
The reaction of the leaders after Vinicius’ latest meltdown
While the result of the match was overshadowed by the Brazilian player’s red card, for which he risks a significant sanction, several observers have reacted. As most have expressed, Vinicius Junior should have shown composure to avoid falling into such traps and provocations. As Relevo reports, the leaders of the Madrid dressing room were not kind to their teammate after the match. Thibaut Courtois and the Real Madrid leaders made it clear to the 24-year-old winger that he must avoid putting the team in difficulty with his excessive reactions.
While they are all united in supporting him to fight against the provocations, harassment, and insults he faces, Carlo Ancelotti’s players believe Vini should not lose his temper to the point of making moves that put the team in danger. “Without you, we have many problems. You must not respond to provocations,” several leaders said in the dressing room after the 2-1 win.
Furthermore, Vinicius Junior is said to have been taken aside by some of the leaders in the dressing room, according to reports, to be reprimanded for his attitude after the red card. Just moments away from physically confronting the referee after his dismissal, the Brazilian international was forcibly restrained by Antonio Rüdiger and sent to the dressing room. For the players, this gesture, which could have led to a major escalation and a more severe sanction than what has been announced, is far from honourable.
Vinicius Junior’s apology
Facing the majority, the best player of 2024 according to FIFA and the Globe Soccer Awards apologised to his teammates. Later, on social media, particularly on his X account (formerly Twitter), Vini expressed his regret and thanked the team. “Sorry and thank you to the team,” he wrote after the match. It must be said that Vinicius Junior remains an exceptional footballer, but he really needs to control his temper.
As several football legends, including Carles Puyol, Sami Khedira, and many others, advise, the 24-year-old must show a lot more restraint and focus exclusively on his game. Recently disappointed at the 2024 Ballon d’Or, the young Madrid player has paid the price for such reactions with certain voters of France Football.
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