Brasilian Fans Mock Vinícius! ESPN Journalist: Vinícius’ Effort on the Pitch Lags Far Behind Real Madrid’s Standards

Following the recently concluded Copa América, Brazil’s team, valued at 680 million euros, was held to a draw by Costa Rica, valued at 13.82 million. Vinícius received the lowest grades from multiple media outlets, resulting in widespread mockery and memes on global social networks.

In the previous season, Vinícius made 40 appearances for Real Madrid, scoring 24 goals and providing 11 assists, demonstrating remarkable tenacity. However, with the Brazilian national team, he has scored only three goals in 31 matches and is currently on a nine-game goal drought. His last goal for Brazil came in June 2023 during a 4-1 victory over Guinea, a year ago.

Many Internet users have edited images to ridicule Vinícius, with comments like “Vinícius is a dragon at Real Madrid but a worm with Brazil,” “He’s a fierce tiger at Madrid but a playful kitten with the national team,” and “While players like Neymar come to fight for Brazil, Vinícius comes to spin hula hoops,” among others.

The criticism of Vinícius isn’t limited to fans and the Brazilian public; it also includes prominent journalists. Cauê Alves, an ESPN journalist, compared Vinícius’ heat maps from his games with Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team. He pointed out that Vinícius’ activity level, work rate, and intensity were significantly lower when representing Brazil, emphasizing that sports ultimately require hard work to achieve victory. Without putting in maximum effort, achieving outstanding performances becomes challenging.

Vinícius was substituted in the 71st minute of this match. According to OPTA data, in his last 11 official appearances for Brazil, he was substituted off in 10 games, all six non-friendly competitions (two World Cup matches in 2022, three World Cup qualifiers in 2023, and this Copa América fixture). This suggests that his attitude on the pitch has influenced the coaching staff’s assessment.