“If it happens against every team, you have to look at yourself” – Kike Barja on Vinicius Junior behaviour

Osasuna winger Kike Barja has stated that Vinicius Junior is part of the problem when it comes to the highly charged atmosphere he seems to play in while on domestic duty. Barja faced up against Vinicius in the Copa del Rey final, where the Brazilian was simultaneously the best player, but also the centre of controversy.

Vinicius received a booking for dissent during the game, and was seen trying to provoke Chimy Avila at halftime.

On the game itself, Barja spoke of the troubled time that Jon Moncayola, who was up against Vinicius, had at right-back in an interview with Cadena SER.

“He told me that the first half is the worst that he has ever experienced, in the end he is not a specialist in that position and he has a player with world-class talent in front of him”

Barja went on to point out that surviving that first half and going up against Vinicius on a yellow card in the second half “a lot of merit. It’s something that speaks highly of him.”

Asked about Vinicius outside of a sporting sense, Barja was reasonable but did not mince his words either.

“I think he’s a young guy. It is clear that he receives a lot of fouls and that you have to protect the players, and if someone goes in hard on him, then a card needs to come out, but he also has to understand that he receives a lot of fouls because the defenders have to stop him in some way. You’re not just going to let him past. It’s part of the game.”

“He generates controversy, and he has to look at what he can improve and correct because he has problems with all the teams. If you have problem with every team, perhaps you have to look at yourself for the solution.”

Barja more specifically referenced incidents in the final, highlighting a conversation with Moncayola.

“You speak with Moncayola and he tells you that he was constantly saying things to him to distract him from the game, to provoke him, so you have to look at everything. He is young, he has margin for improvement, and I think his own teammates know it.”

“He gets distracted very easily, he makes ugly gestures to the crowd. There’s the very ugly image of him celebrating in the face of Lucas Torro, and I think he needs to be more humble and understand he is part of the problem.”

He did highlight that Vinicius was enormously talented.

“I’ve almost never seen anything like it, maybe Messi. He has an innate talent.”

There was little bitterness in Barja’s evaluation, and he was glowing in terms of Vinicius as a footballer, but reading between the lines comig from Vinicius’ colleagues, there is a feeling they too want to see a different Vinicius on the pitch. The Brazilian has received abhorrent treatment this season, and a reaction is understandable, but other players are unlikely to take kindly to it.