Vinícius Junior's Most Controversial Actions
Brazil will not be able to count on Vinícius for the Quarterfinals of the Copa América.
Brazil’s got a tough task ahead if they want to make it to the semifinals of the 2024 Copa América. They have to beat the powerhouse Uruguay team in the Quarterfinals, and they’ll have to do it without one of their stars, Vinícius Jr., who picked up a yellow card in the last group stage match against Colombia in a really silly way.
Besides being a great world-class footballer, Vinícius has been heavily criticized for his off-field antics, where he’s hurt his own team by arguing or committing unnecessary fouls out of frustration or lack of self-control. In the match between Colombia and Brazil in the Copa América, Vinícius smacked James Rodríguez in the 7th minute, earning a yellow card and getting suspended for the quarterfinals against Uruguay.
But that's not all. One of Vinícius’s worst off-field actions was in a friendly match between Brazil and Spain at the Santiago Bernabéu earlier this year. During that match, the Real Madrid player took advantage of a break to provoke and shove Aymeric Laporte for no reason, showing once again his lack of self-control.
We also remember the incident during a Champions League match between Real Madrid and RB Leipzig, where Madrid was fighting to maintain their aggregate lead. Vinícius had a heated argument with Willi Orbán, shoving him to the ground. When Orbán got up to confront him, Vinícius shoved him again, this time grabbing him by the neck. This could’ve easily left Madrid a player down in an important knockout game.
Then there was that time Vinícius lost his cool against Celta de Vigo’s player Óscar Mingueza. After a slight jersey pull from Mingueza, Vinícius reacted aggressively, going back to argue and push the 25-year-old defender.