Former Barcelona superstar backs Vinicius amid Rodri’s critique | OneFootball

Vinicius Jr did not attend the Ballon d’Or ceremony after being snubbed of the award at the nth minute and was rightfully shown slack for the same.

He did, however, gracefully accept the decision later and put the subject past him, only using the setback to fuel him to greater heights.

Manchester City’s Rodri, meanwhile, has not allowed the dust to settle and has taken repeated jabs at the Real Madrid star after winning the award.

Neymar comes to Vinicius’ support

Earlier this week, the Ballon d’Or winner spoke to the media about the Brazilian winger and his attitude on the field as he saw it.

“I think he’s a smart guy and with time he will realize that the more he pays attention on the field, the better he will be. Athletes are not just what you represent on the field, but also off it,” he said, attacking Vinicius Jr.

Now, the Real Madrid star’s compatriot and former Barcelona star Neymar Jr appears to have publicly come out to protect his teammate from Rodri’s words.

Neymar comes out in support of Vinicius.

“He became a talker now,” Neymar commented under an Instagram post with Rodri’s words and even added a facepalm emoticon along with it.

It is, after all, not the first time that the Manchester City star has taken a dig at Vinicius. He even openly criticised the Brazilian recently for not turning up for the Ballon d’Or ceremony stating that he did not know how to lose gracefully.

Real Madrid will hope Vinicius can stay undistracted by the noise in the media and keep his form going as they return to action against Leganes. After all, he has been carrying the team’s attack this season.