Vinicius is always in the news. If he is not being talked about because of some controversy on the pitch, people are commenting on the juicy offers that have been made to Real Madrid for him. Perhaps the problem lies in the fact that everything outside of the sports arena makes more noise than his numbers on the pitch, which this season are lacking, causing the Brazilian player to lose relevance in the team.
Vinicius did not start against Leganés on Saturday and his absence did not cause any problems for the Whites. Mbappé’s scoring prowess, coupled with the Brazilian’s poor record of two goals in his last ten games, as well as his lack of defensive contribution, have caused him to lose relevance and many are wondering about his future at the club.
So far this season, the Brazilian has scored 19 goals, five fewer than in the whole of last season and, of course, 10 assists, one more than in the whole of 23/24. At the moment he is far from the numbers that led him to fight for a Ballon d’Or that he finally missed out on.
Defensive passivity
This season the Brazilian has been the protagonist on several occasions for episodes of arguing with his teammates due to his lack of help in defensive tasks. The last one happened in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Atlético de Madrid at the Metropolitano where Vinicius Jr. also missed a penalty.
His passivity in defense led to a counterattack by Atlético de Madrid and Jude Bellingham had to make an extra effort to interrupt the play, risking a yellow card, although he resolved the situation without committing an offense. At that moment, the Englishman exploded with rage against Vinicius and did not hesitate to angrily scold him to change his attitude. For his part, the Brazilian player, far from acknowledging his mistake, looked at the bench, justifying what had happened by the failure to signal a foul.
Vinicius and his controversies
In addition to the dizzying offer, his departure could be sealed by Real Madrid’s fed-upness with his behavior. A behavior that was reflected in the Champions League derby against Atlético at the Metropolitano. The Brazilian was substituted in the 115th minute and, while the Metropolitano chanted “Vinicius, beach ball”, he addressed the stands making the gesture with his hands that they have 15 Champions Leagues and Atlético de Madrid, zero.
Once in the changing rooms, the Brazilian once again used his social networks to continue the banter. The player posted a provocative message on Instagram as soon as the match ended: “Madremiaaaa!!! MADRID HAS ONLY ONE!!!! But we all know that. Let’s improve and see you next time!!” said the Brazilian.
What’s more, several of his teammates so far this season have given him a telling-off for his attitude on the pitch and for not pulling his weight in defense. Also in Brazil, Raphinha had to be reprimanded for wasting time when the coach decided to substitute him.
Always present in Saudi Arabia
In recent months there has been talk of dizzying amounts. 1 billion euros over 5 years on offer from the Saudi Arabian league would make him the highest paid athlete in the world and in history (so far). Real Madrid would receive more than 300 million in the deal.
All this speculation with astronomical figures has been exploited by the player himself. Vinicius has used the offer to request a contract extension with a salary increase. The footballer currently earns around 15 million euros, and is asking to earn 25 million, which would make him the highest paid player in the squad, above Mbappé. The footballer believes he has earned it.
Now it is said that after Al Ahli’s offer, it is now Al Nassr who are making a move with a multi-million dollar proposal. The Saudis are looking to make Vinicius their big star and it is said that the offer on the table is as high as 200 million euros per season. A similar amount to what Cristiano Ronaldo earns in the Arab country.