Real Madrid captain Nacho Fernandez on Vinicius Junior - "We have talked to help him to calm down"

Following Sunday’s draw with Rayo Vallecano, Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior has come in for criticism for his antics during the match at the Santiago Bernabeu. Notably, he clashed with Rayo goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski, and was seen in several confrontations throughout the 90 minutes.

Following this, Barcelona icon Carles Puyol admitted that he would like to help Vinicius fix his attitude on the pitch, and Real Madrid captain Nacho Fernandez, speaking to the media ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League encounter with Braga (via MD), has now admitted that conversations have taken place with the 23-year-old over this matter.

“We talk a lot with Vini. He’s a type of player who feels more provocations than the rest. It always generates frustration. We talked to him so that we can help him calm down and focus on playing. Little by little he’s getting better, but he’s got a lot of character. Here, we take great care of him.

“If Puyol wants to talk to him, it’s up to him.”

There’s little doubt that Vinicius is a world class player, but he regularly gets himself into bother on the pitch, which has led to him missing matches due to suspension, notably for accumulation of yellow cards. Real Madrid will be keen for this to be avoided going forward.