Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has compared the treatment that Vinicius Junior receives on the pitch that of Pele and Diego Maradona.
The Italian coach was speaking in the lead up to their home tie with Almeria on Friday, and much of the press conference was focused on Vinicius and the rough challenges defenders make on him. Equally, there was mention of racidsm
“On the one hand there is what happens on the pitch and on the other, off it. Off it, it is bad for society, to still have racism… a modern society cannot be like that,” Ancelotti pointed out.
“And on the pitch, the truth is that the players kick him lots, it’s obvious. Maradona or Pele were also kicked a lot, unfortunately. Our luck is that Vinicius has a strong physique and is capable of enduring [those challenges].”
Earlier in the press conference, Ancelotti had said that in order to prevent injuries was for him to see justice.
“We have that concern, it’s quite normal. He tries to beat his man one-on-one a lot, he dribbles… and the only way to preserve this type of player, not just Vinicius, but all players, is justice. Only that can prevent something bad from happening.”
Vinicius is often fouled by defenders, and often they challenge Vinicius as hard as possible to knock him off his game. However if the careers of Pele, Maradona or more recently Lionel Messi are anything to go by, it will be upon Vinicius to find a way of protecting himself from challenges.
