The Brazilian’s performance against Betis on Saturday was still rather average, and he is still being criticized by the Spanish media.
Things are changing for Vinicius Jr. The darling of the press and fans for the past few seasons, the Brazilian is seeing the wind change, and clearly not in his favor. With rumours linking him to Saudi Arabia, his behaviour not always exemplary and his performances often average above all else, the former Flamengo man’s stock is falling drastically.
Against Betis on Saturday, the Brazilian struggled again. He was unable to make a difference and went through the match without pain or glory. Of course, he’s not the only Merengue not to have been up to scratch, but unlike Kylian Mbappé, for example, it’s been a long time coming for Madrid’s number 7. In addition to Carlo Ancelotti, it is clearly Vinicius Jr who is being singled out this Sunday in Madrid.
Press increasingly critical
“You don’t win La Liga on autopilot”, says Marca in an article that is very bloody towards the team, but with Vinicius Jr in the cover photo, clearly suggesting who the target of the message is. In its notes on the match, the media awards Vinicius Jr a 5.5/10, which may seem honest, but is clearly one of the worst marks of the match, given the media’s tendency to mark quite generously (Mbappé was awarded a 6, for example).
“Out of the game. It wasn’t the Vinicius who keeps striking and off-balance,” says AS, Madrid’s other leading daily. Referring to a “disastrous attacking trio”, the paper reports that Vinicius Jr managed just 4 of his 11 dribbling attempts on the Betis pitch. In another paper, the media is very harsh and explains that his 300th in a Madrid shirt was catastrophic. “He played at Villamarin, but in reality it’s as if he hadn’t”, for example, says the article, which also refers to his behavior, having already picked up his 12th yellow card this season and once again causing tension with the home crowd. Clearly, he’s going to have his work cut out against Atlético in the Champions League…
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