Real Madrid’s 2-1 El Clásico victory over Barcelona—secured by goals from Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham—was overshadowed by the conduct of forward Vinicius after he was substituted.
The Brazilian international was taken off in the 72nd minute and reacted with visible frustration towards manager Xabi Alonso, storming off the pitch before eventually returning to the bench.
Former Chelsea player Craig Burley was highly critical of Vinicius’s attitude, suggesting the player has a behavioral issue that he won’t be able to change.
Burley’s Comments on ESPN FCBurley stated that Vinicius failed to grasp the manager’s tactical decision, which he believed was made to bring “fresh legs” into the game.“It is difficult as a player because sometimes you just cannot see the bigger picture, which is that Real Madrid needed fresh legs,” Burley told ESPN FC.
The pundit was particularly displeased with Vinicius temporarily disappearing down the tunnel during such a crucial game:
“You don’t walk down the tunnel when there is a Clasico still on against your biggest rivals. Yes, he came back out. But Xabi Alonso didn’t look best pleased about his antics and then disappearing down the tunnel.”
Burley concluded with a stark assessment of the player’s future behavior: “I don’t think this player will ever change from this type of behaviour.”