Barcelona star Raphinha praises 'spectacular' Vinicius Jr but admits Real Madrid & Brazil forward does 'unnecessary' things during games

Vinicius has been subjected to racist abuse in Spain on several occasions during his time at Real Madrid. In May 2023, things escalated after Los Blancos' clash against Valencia where the Spanish law enforcement had to make arrests to set an example.

Now Vinicius' compatriot and club rival Raphinha has come to his defence, calling him a 'spectacular person'. Raphinha, however, did admit that his Brazil team-mate often does 'unnecessary' things during matches.

Speaking to RAC1, the Blaugrana winger said: "The Vinicius of the matches is completely different from the Vinicius in person. When you get hold of him outside of football, you realise that they are completely different people. I've already seen many players who off the pitch are one way and on the pitch are another. This is normal in football, there are many players like that. I try to explain to everyone that Vinicius is not a bad person – he is a spectacular person, a very good person. He's younger than me, but when I got to the national team he was already there and he helped me a lot."

He added: "We get along very well and I also often talk to him and tell him that it is not necessary to do the things he does on the pitch, but I understand it. Each person is different, he is like that and I think it gives him confidence on the field to do that. For example, Gavi on the pitch, in my opinion, is crazy, he's very annoying. But off the field he is an incredible person, loving, caring… Vinicius is the same. However, it's hard to convince people that he's like that when they see him in a certain way on the pitch. Only if you live moments with him will you see that I am right. He is affectionate. He is a person who is always joking, who is always smiling. It's difficult to see Vinicius serious, he's always joking."

While Vinicius has made it to Dorival Junior's roster for Brazil's upcoming World Cup qualifiers, Raphinha has missed out on the squad. The Selecao will face Ecuador on September 7 followed by a game against Paraguay four days later.