Despite delivering two assists to Kylian Mbappé in Real Madrid’s dramatic 4-3 loss to Barcelona, Vinicius Junior continues to face harsh criticism from the football world. The latest to take aim at the Brazilian winger is former Real Madrid midfielder Álvaro Benito.
Clearly frustrated by Vinicius’s overall display, Benito did not hold back in his post-match analysis of Sunday’s Clásico defeat. He called the Brazilian’s performance “shameful” and insisted he should never have stayed on the pitch for the full 90 minutes.
“He should’ve been taken off—what he did was beyond words. It’s a disgrace, a disgrace. Take him off, take him off, take him off,” said Benito, in remarks reported by Tribal Football.
The former midfielder also issued a warning to Xabi Alonso, who is widely expected to succeed Carlo Ancelotti as Real Madrid head coach:
“The incoming coach has a lot of work to do. He needs to fix the mindset of certain players. You can’t play football like Vinicius does—defending with your eyes, skipping tracking runs, not marking, not pressing.”
Despite his offensive contributions, the 23-year-old continues to divide opinion with his work rate and attitude in key matches.