Vinicius Jr has been a talking point for Real Madrid fans all season. People sometimes talk about his antics, sometimes they talk about his form, sometimes they talk about something completely irrelevant, and still link it with Vinicius Jr.
He is a superstar, and these things come with being a superstar, as Vini would know.
He has been subject to criticism by the media for the way he sometimes acts on the pitch. I think all of that is overblown - Vinicius Jr does not do things that are much different to what other people do.
However, he gets the criticism because of that, and because of how he is in the spotlight all the time. Sometimes, it is fair. Mostly, though, it is not.
Netflix recently released a trailer for Vinicius Jr's documentary, which is set to drop on May 16, 2025.
Vinicius Jr does not have to be the good guy all the time; all he needs to do is win games for Real Madrid
In the trailer, Vinicius Jr was asked about these things, to which he had a brilliant reply that only a player of Vinicius' calibre and confidence could give.
When asked about it, Vini said: “They don’t pay me to be nice, they pay me to score goals.” That is, well, entirely true.
The Brazilian gets paid to score goals and win games for Real Madrid. He does not have to be nice, and he does not have to be the good guy all the time as long as he is doing all those things.
But, there is one thing worth noting. Vinicius Jr gets a lot of abuse from the crowd as well - which is mostly uncalled for - and he does not have to sit there and just listen to everything they say. He has a full right to retaliate. It is easy to say what he should do or say when you have not been in his shoes.