Spanish football has become a grueling environment to play in. Top clubs such as Real Madrid and Barcelona face immense pressure to win games and maintain their places in the Champions League.

Additionally, teams in lower divisions often have aspirations of moving up to the First Division. Throughout the season, these teams receive a great deal of fanfare and attention.

1. He is not fluent in Spanish

When playing for an elite club in Spain, communication with teammates and fans in Spanish is a critical factor. That is why Gareth Bale, Toni Kroos, and Cristiano Ronaldo have all put in an extensive effort to become fluent speakers of the language – just as Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich has done too.

Vinicius Jr shares this difficulty. His Spanish proficiency has been an issue for some time now, and it could prove costly in the future.

For several years, the Brazilian has been the target of racist chants and abuse from spectators in the stands, most recently during his trip to Barcelona in October 2021. Additionally, he was targeted during a La Liga game held at Son Moix stadium in Mallorca in the same month of February.

On Twitter, the Brazil national team issued an emotional statement supporting their player. Subsequently, the club revealed that he has now acquired Spanish nationality.

2. He is being targeted

Vinicius Jr has defied racist abuse to become an elite talent. As the most dangerous left-sided player in Europe’s top five leagues, Madrid has relied on him to fill in for Karim Benzema while the Ballon d’Or winner is sidelined this season.

His skill at being the most dangerous player on the ground has been rewarded in recent weeks, and the Brazilian is set to play a pivotal role in Real’s World Cup semifinal against Liverpool.

His ability to create opportunities is an integral component of his game, giving him the potential to drastically change games by creating opportunities. With 22 carries ending in opportunities created and 30 attempts with shots, he ranks joint-highest among wingers across the top five leagues for this feat.

Madrid should be extremely proud of their record, but therein lies the rub. The winger has been targeted more than 20 times this season and has had more clashes with opponents than anyone else in the league.

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3. He is being intimidated

The Brazilian, known for his flair and dribbling skills, has established himself as a key member of Real Madrid since joining Sporting Lisbon in 2022 for PS130m. Unfortunately, he has repeatedly experienced abuse from rival fans and feels his club is failing to take matters seriously enough.

His initial response was to denounce racist chants directed at him during a La Liga trip to Atletico Madrid in September, as an effigy of Vinicius was also hung from a bridge near his training ground. Later that month, the Spanish league condemned “acts of hatred and intimidation” against him.

Vinicius has suffered abuse from rival fans in two matches this season – Mallorca on Sunday and Valladolid on December 30. In both instances, Spanish prosecutors closed the case due to it being impossible to identify who was responsible for the racist chants. Meanwhile, despite repeated complaints, Vinicius continues to complain that La Liga does nothing about it.

4. He is being harassed

The 22-year-old winger has been subjected to racist chanting since joining Real Madrid from Brazil. He was filmed being abused by Mallorca fans during Sunday’s match, and La Liga has filed a complaint with a court regarding it.

He’s had a monkey emoji tweeted to him by La Liga player (Cadiz’s Ivan Alejo), been called a “f****** monkey” from the stands, and an effigy of him was hung from a bridge before last month’s Copa del Rey derby against Atletico Madrid. Yet in each instance, Spanish football has done nothing to curb the abuse.

Pele, Neymar, and other top Brazilian players stood up for Vinicius in September after a Spanish soccer show paneled his goal celebrations to those of a monkey, sparking outcry across social media. Vinicius then released a video statement calling the comment an insulting “xenophobic and racist”. Additionally, he pledged not to stop dancing and said the happiness of seeing a black Brazilian succeeding in Europe “bothered many people”.

Source: كورة لايف