It is alarming how much criticism Vinicius Junior has been subjected to in his young career at Real Madrid, and that goes beyond racism or abuse that does not fall under the criticism bracket but rather delves into the outright criminal.
Even from his own fans at Real Madrid and the media that covers him, Vinicius Jr. has been subjected to an entirely unfair double standard. He is called lazy when he is among the leading wingers in European football for pressing. He is called a fraud even though he has won two Champions League titles and is in the record books for all time assists in the competition.
Every name in the book is slung in the direction of the Brazilian star, made to answer for things that simply do not make sense. It is familiar territory for Black footballers, particularly those who did not grow up in Europe, to be castigated by the media, and the attacks from Vini Jr. feel beyond unfair and border into the personal.
Vinicius Jr. is not a bad teammate
The notion that Vinicius Jr. is a bad teammate started at some point this season in various media leaks with no attributable source, and no single teammate has said anything but effusively kind words for a player who is now, after eight years of being here, a locker room leader.
Onda Cero journalist Alberto Pereiro is quoted by the Madrid Zone as saying of Vinicius Junior, “Vinícius, in the locker room has no problems with any teammate; everyone loves him a ton, he might possibly be the most beloved player.”
The words of Pereiro, who knows much more than the uninformed fans or media punditry contingent who constantly slag off Vinicius with vague accusations, is relaying everything we see and hear from the body language and words of his teammates.
Vinicius Jr. works hard for the team, and though he wears his emotions on his sleeve towards opponents and officials, plenty of players at other clubs do that without getting disrespected by their own fans or having their very accomplishments minimized.
Recall all the intense criticism Vinicius Jr. received from teammates like Karim Benzema early in his career. If Vinicius were truly such a malignant personality and a terrible person to work with, why did he never raise up against Benzie or cause any problems? He put his head down and worked hard, and he has always disproved this idea that he is a bad teammate or person. And nobody should be buying what potentially a few anonymous sources with ulterior motives are trying to sell to the press.
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