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Spanish journalist Anthony Romero has criticised Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior for letting people get under his skin, advising him to pick a different profession.
Vinicius Junior has made headlines at Real Madrid but not always for sporting reasons. The left winger has often been a victim of racial abuse in La Liga, with the most recent instance taking place on Sunday (February 5).
During Los Blancos’ 1-0 defeat at Mallorca, home fans were filmed verbally abusing the Brazilian winger. La Liga has since filed a complaint over the incident with a local court in Mallorca. Ahead of last month's Madrid derby, a mannequin, resembling Vinicius Junior, was found hanging from a Madrid bridge.
Instead of sympathising with the 22-year-old superstar, Romero accused him of being mentally weak, hinting that he must toughen up and get accustomed to such treatment. The journalist said (via Diario AS):
“We have seen the face of a madman in the stands saying barbarities, and we have eaten the milonga that he cannot be identified. That is a problem. Then, I think that Vinicius should follow another path, but he is going to continue having problems on the pitch like the ones he did the other day. They have realised that he is not mentally strong, and they are going to go after him that way.”
The Real Madrid winger also suffered ten fouls in the clash against Mallorca, most by a player in a La Liga game this season.
Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior has suffered most fouls in Europe this season
Vinicius Junior has had a difficult time expressing himself on the pitch this season. The jet-heeled winger, who helped Madrid conquer Spain and Europe in the 2022-23 campaign, has been scythed down by rough challenges many times.
According to Spanish outlet Marca, Vinicius has been fouled a whopping 79 times in 20 La Liga games this season, making him the most-fouled player in Europe. His countryman and Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar (59) is second on the list.
Despite suffering more fouls than he did during the entirety of last season (76), the Real Madrid winger has done fairly well this campaign. He has featured in 31 games across competitions, scoring 13 times and claiming six assists.
