As it has been for most of the season, Vinicius Junior was the centre of attention during Real Madrid’s Copa del Rey final victory over Osasuna on Saturday.
The Brazilian produced a brilliant assist for Rodrygo’s opening goal, and in general, he terrorised the Osasuna defence on several occasions.
Vinicius Jr. How do you even stop him at this point? Unplayable pic.twitter.com/nkfHGSvBAD
— DalotXtra (@diogoxtra1) May 6, 2023
However, he also caught the ire of opposition players, as well as the referee, as he received yet another yellow card for the season. At half time, he almost came to blows with Osasuna’s Chimy Avila, as the two sets of players went down the tunnel.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1654953603633762305
Real Madrid have been irate about the treatment of Vinicius this season, and after Saturday’s victory, Florentino Perez demanded more protection for the 22-year-old.
“He’s the best in the world at his position. It’s hard to stop him and they have to make a lot of fouls. He protests and the referees give him a lot of cards, which I don’t understand. You have to defend the players who create a spectacle and generate illusion.”
Real Madrid and Perez will be counting on Vinicius again on Tuesday, as they take on Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie. Los Blancos are aiming to go back-to-back in the competition.
