Neymar hits back at 'talker' Man City star Rodri over 'pay attention' jibe at Vinicius Jr as Brazil star leaps to Real Madrid attacker's defence

Rodri was named the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner last month, pipping Madrid's Vinicius Jr to the coveted accolade. After the 28-year-old sent a warning of sorts to the winger, the Brazilian's compatriot Neymar has come to his aid with a dig at the Spaniard.

Rodri said this week: “I think he's [Vinicius Jr] an intelligent guy and he'll realise over time that the more he pays attention to the pitch, the better he'll be. Like everyone, he has areas for improvement both on and off the pitch. He's young, I'm sure that people will give him good advice and even more so when he's at Madrid. It's a club with values.”

Then, in an Instagram post, Al-Hilal's Neymar commented: "He [Rodri] became a talker now."

There has seemingly been some bad blood over this Ballon d'Or award, which started with Madrid boycotting the Paris ceremony when they found out Vinicus wasn't going to win. And it seems these latest comments may just add fuel to the fire.

While City's Rodri continues his recovery from a season-ending knee injury, Vinicius will be focusing on Madrid's La Liga trip to Leganes on Sunday.