‘With time…’ – Rodri says Vinicius Jr will learn his lesson at Real Madrid

Vinicius Junior remains one of the hot topics in Spain, whether he is playing or not. The Brazilian forward has probably been Real Madrid’s best player, yet his antics on the pitch generally tend to be talked about more than what he does with the ball. Manchester City midfielder and Ballon d’Or rival Rodri Hernandez believes that he will learn to curb his focus.

The 24-year-old continues to emphasize his fighting spirit on the pitch, often getting into back and forths with referees and defenders. Last season Vinicius earned 11 yellow cards, mostly for dissent, and this year he is threatening to eclipse that, with 7 bookings in just 17 games this season. Rodri was asked about his attitude on the pitch.

“I think he’s an intelligent guy and he will realise over time that the more he focuses on what’s happening on the pitch, the better he will be,” Rodri told Cadena SER.

“He’s a great footballer. Like everyone, he has areas for improvement both on and off the field. He is young, I am sure that people will advise him well and being in Madrid even more so. It is a club with values.”

“Sometimes it tempts you and we all have our heart rate up when we play, but in the end we footballers are not only what we represent on the pitch, but also off it. Taking care of that part seems very important to me and I have always tried to do it.”

Whether he intends to or not seems a different question. Various teammates and manager Carlo Ancelotti have asked him to focus on the football in the past, but he has certainly executed little in the way of change to his attitude. It may be that he seeks it out a degree of conflict – some players play better with fire in their veins, and Vinicius is often seen rousing the crowd with gestures.