Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior has said he feels targeted by referees and wants more protection for talented players such as Lamine Yamal and Julian Alvarez. He spoke after Madrid’s 4-3 come-from-behind win at Roma in the Champions League on Wednesday.
The Brazilian acknowledged that he is going through a slump, but said he has “no doubt” he will soon regain his best form. His comments came only hours after he was handed a four-match suspension in the Spanish league for being sent off for pulling an opponent’s hair and protesting against the referee.
Vinicius questions how referees treat him
Vinicius said he could not recall another player receiving a ban of that length for a similar incident. He explained that he had tried to move the player in front of him out of the way and became entangled in the opponent’s hair. He insisted he had not said anything offensive to the referee.
He said he understood why opposing teams and the press would see the punishment as justified, but argued that it was far too easy for officials to act against him. Citing statistics he said he had seen, Vinicius claimed he had been fouled 500 times, which had led to only five red cards for opponents. He added that yellow cards seemed to fall on attacking players far more often than on defenders.
Vinicius called for greater protection for players who bring something different to the game, naming Lamine Yamal at Barcelona and Julian Alvarez at Atletico. He said defenders were allowed to foul him for an entire match, yet he was the one who ended up being booked. He also said it was natural for opposing fans to jeer him, because his job is to score against their team, but he did not accept how referees treated him.
Mourinho criticises timing of the suspension news
Madrid coach Jose Mourinho objected to when the club’s player was told about the ban. He questioned whether it was normal for a player from a Spanish club, preparing for an important match that was also significant for Spanish football, to learn about a four-match suspension just two hours before kickoff.
Mourinho said the news reached the squad while the team bus was approaching the stadium. He accused the authorities of acting without shame, saying “they’ve started doing things without any shame.”
Vinicius returns to form talk after substitution
Vinicius, who has not scored for Madrid since August, was replaced in the 59th minute. Madrid went on to recover from 3-1 down to win the match. He said he was working to return to his best as quickly as possible and acknowledged that he was not at his peak, but insisted he had faced tougher periods before.
He said he had signed a six-year contract extension because of his commitment to the club, and expressed confidence that his goals would return. He also said that getting upset at being substituted was natural, because he always wants to play, but stressed that he was aware of his current level. He described his relationship with Mourinho as strong and said the coach was always direct with him.
Vinicius was replaced by Endrick, who scored an 85th-minute equaliser before Antonio Rudiger struck in the 90th minute to give Madrid victory. Vinicius praised the younger players for stepping up and said the result could help the team change its direction this season. The 26-year-old has scored only two goals for club and country this season.
Because of the suspension, Vinicius will miss Sunday’s home match against Sevilla and the following week’s “el Clasico” trip to Barcelona. He will also miss away matches at Racing Santander and Valencia.
