Vinicius is in the spotlight. This is nothing new, but this time he is not there because of his numbers at Real Madrid or even because of his controversy. He is under the microscope because of his poor performance and attitude, which has fed up the club, his teammates and the fans. This season, everything outside of the game is making more noise than his numbers on the pitch, which this season are lacking, causing the Brazilian player to lose relevance in the team.
So far this season, the Brazilian has scored 20 goals, four 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.
Vinicius Jr is not performing at the expected level this season and, after missing two penalties in recent weeks, the Bernabéu fans booed the Brazilian player against Valencia. The booing is not only for his play but also for his attitude on the pitch, his constant walk-outs due to protests, his confrontations with the referees and with rival fans, and, above all, his lack of commitment to collective and defensive play.
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 towards the bench, justifying what had happened by the failure to signal a foul.
Saudi Arabia always present
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 operation. In recent weeks, another option has emerged. Now it is 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 thought that the offer on the table is as high as 200 million.
Real Madrid are thinking about replacements for Vinicius
In the midst of everything surrounding Vinicius Jr, the Whites are wasting no time and already have two of the biggest stars of the moment on their agenda to replace the Brazilian should he leave. Nico Williams and Wirtz are the options Madrid are considering should Vinicius leave.
Those two names are not the only ones. The list includes three names that do not go unnoticed on the European scene. The first is Viktor Gyökeres, a forward for Sporting Lisbon. Rafael Leão, a star for AC Milan, would also be on the list. The third option is Victor Osimhen. The Nigerian, currently on loan at Galatasaray from Napoli, could be back on the market this summer.