Ever since he arrived at the club, Vinicius Jr has always been one of, if not the most, scrutinized players at Real Madrid. It seems he's in the headlines every week, and talk surrounding the Brazilian has become commonplace at Real Madrid.
Whether it's journalists or even former Real Madrid players talking, Vini is always a popular topic of conversation, and that seems to be a stigma that will follow the Brazilian for the entirety of his career.
The most recent player to speak out on Vini is maybe one that fans may not expect to criticize the Brazilian, but what he said was something that many fans have been saying for years, and he's 100% spot on.
The last Real Madrid legend anyone would expect just called out Vini Jr's attitude
While speaking with AS, Real Madrid legend Toni Kroos admitted Vini Jr's attitude and antics on the field can get out of hand at times and negatively affect the team. Kroos went on to recall instances of Vini's gestures and provocations towards opposing players and fans, and how it would bother him at times. Kroos went on to say:
"At that point, I told him many times that it was enough, because you get the feeling that his behaviour ends up hurting the team. It’s understandable that it can annoy people, whether it’s an opponent, a referee or the crowd."Toni Kroos
The German went on to add that he would try to calm Vinicius down during games when he would start to get out of hand to protect not only the Brazilian, but the team as a whole.
"I tried many times to calm him down on the pitch, especially so that he wouldn’t lose his rhythm, because sometimes that happened. I always told him: ‘You’re so good that you don’t need all that"Toni Kroos
Kroos has always been an outspoken player, and these comments hit the nail on the head, whether fans agree with them or not. We have seen on several occasions Vini's emotions get the best of him with referees and fans, and even a few times with Xabi Alonso this season, and it can be understood how those antics could affect the team as a whole.
The Brazilian has always been a player who wears his heart on his sleeve, but it gets to a point where enough is enough, and someone has to speak out, and that's what Kroos did.
Vini is, without a doubt, one of, if not the most, polarizing players in the world, and unfortunately, these antics are just something that comes with the player. It could be beneficial for Vinicius to take Kroos' words to heart and step back on the antics for the betterment of the team as a whole.