Vinicius Jr. was once again in the spotlight at Son Moix, a venue where he seems to thrive with every visit.
The Brazilian winger has made a name for himself through his encounters with Mallorca, both among fans and players. In particular, his rivalry with Pablo Maffeo has become a focal point in these duels.
Maffeo, Mallorca’s full-back, was tasked with covering Vinicius throughout the game and it didn’t take long for the tension to rise.
The scuffle started from the beginning
In an early off-ball incident, Vinicius gave Maffeo a shove that sent him to the ground, an action that immediately made Vinicius a target for the home fans, who booed him loudly every time he touched the ball.
The Mallorca fans also enjoyed cheering every time Vinicius lost the ball, which added to the heated atmosphere.
The Real Madrid striker also got into a tense exchange with referee Soto Grado from the start of the game. The referee objected to Vinicius making gestures towards the Real Madrid fans in the stadium.
When the referee confronted him, Vinicius responded by telling the referee to address Dani Carvajal, the captain of Real Madrid, instead of him.
“What do you want, what do you want?” Vinicius was heard saying to Soto Grado. “I’m going to talk to my fans. Talk to him, talk to Dani. I can’t talk to you, he’s there.” captured by DAZN cameras (h/t Mundo Deportivo).
A risky challenge from Maffeo
The tension between Vinicius and Maffeo increased throughout the first half and there was a moment just before half-time when Maffeo could have been sent off.
In a tough challenge, he came too late and from behind and rammed his studs into Vinicius’ calf while the Brazilian was shielding the ball. The foul was lamented by the Real Madrid players and Vinicius was left writhing on the ground in pain.
However, Soto Grado decided to only punish Maffeo with a yellow card, much to the annoyance of the Madrid players and fans.
Despite all the pain and controversy, Vinicius continued to play a crucial role for his team and underlined his importance in another challenging match at Son Moix.
