Real Madrid forward Joselu Mato, who is currently on loan from Espanyol, came out in support of his teammate Vinicius Junior after the Brazilian was recently subjected to racial abuse against Osasuna in a La Liga match.
Vinicius is known to have a temper and often engages in altercations with the crowd and sometimes with the referee. Despite everything, Joselu backed his teammate saying that the Brazilian is someone who is not much affected by what happens on the field.
“It is clear that Vinicius is a player who is affected a little on the field. He is very decisive, a good player, one of the best players in the world and I think this bothers the opponents and the fans,” Joselu said.
“Vinicius is a character. Inside the dressing room, he is a very humble boy, very smiling. He is a boy who has treated me well since the first day I arrived here.”
Vinicius earned a one-match suspension during the match against Osasuna after accumulating five yellow cards in La Liga. Joselu admitted that the Brazilian needs to learn how to deal with the circumstances that take place on the field.
“Obviously, there are some things that Vinicius has to figure out how to deal with the circumstances better, but he is still very young and we all support him in that. In the dressing room, we all have a lot of affection for him,” the Spaniard added.
Having been knocked out of Copa del Rey, Joselu believes that Vinicius will be key as Real Madrid is still competing for La Liga and UEFA Champions League.
“The typical thing, especially when you’re in a game: ‘You can get the second card’, ‘Don’t leave us with ten’…. In the end, to be a little bit in that role.
“I think he is such a decisive and decisive player in every game, he knows that. He knows that he can decide a game on his own and I think he’s very important for us,” he concluded.
