Despite being one of the chief protagonists behind two Real Madrid Champions League titles and already one of the most prolific wingers, particularly from a chance creation standpoint, in the history of the most prestigious competition in club football, Vinicius Junior has been maligned by supporters all season long.
It's been an unfair narrative from within his own walls, cast the figure of a coach killer all for the cardinal sin of wearing his emotions on a sleeve and, like all good sportsmen, being upset at being taken off. Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben were never called coach killers for doing the same at Bayern Munich when they were subbed off, and Vini, the same level of figure for Los Blancos that they were for Die Roten, has had his ills blown out of proportion.
But behind the scenes, the players in the Real Madrid locker room are clearly not against Vinicius Jr., and they aren't feeding any negative narrative at all. Even Kylian Mbappe is Vinicius's friend, despite this notion that the two dislike each other (whether they can co-exist tactically is a different story, but who has Mbappe ever been able to live with?)
Vinicius Junior is beloved
What is truly striking is how the young academy players at Real Madrid take a liking to Vinicius Jr. Just the latest, Daniel Yanez made an Instagram post, as relayed by the Madrid Zone, after a call up, and pointedly included a photo of him and Vini Jr. embracing each other.
So many academy players have shared similar photos or banter positively with the Brazilian superstar online, and the body language Vini Jr. has with the young players on the bench and on the pitch is worth taking note of. Remember Arda Guler the first time he smashed the crossbar from half field? Vinicius Jr. was whooping and yelling the young man's name from the bench with pure joy.
Real Madrid cannot lose a figure like this. Vinicius Jr. loves the club. He loves helping the young players become better, he loves cheering on the others, he always points to the crest, he never steps on the badge, and he works so hard for the team even when things aren't working for him since the Kylian Mbappe transfer.
It is a shame that many fans behind their keyboards have become turncoats, and even worse that a few travelers come to the Santiago Bernabeu to do the same. But those who have watched this club over the last eight years every week know that the real Vinicius is a friend and defender of Madrid.
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