Though he advised the Brazilian forward to control his temper, Real Madrid legend Toni Kroos has come out in support of Vinicius Jr.
The Brazilian star faced criticism after reacting angrily to being substituted during the second half of El Clásico. When he saw his number appear on the board, Vinicius expressed visible frustration and stormed straight down the tunnel, drawing mixed reactions from fans and pundits alike.
On Sunday at the Santiago Bernabéu, Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 2–1 in a thrilling and emotional Clásico. While Vinicius didn’t score or assist, he played well until he was replaced in the 72nd minute by fellow Brazilian Rodrygo.
Kroos, speaking on his podcast, defended Vinicius, saying people shouldn’t judge him harshly for an emotional reaction in such a high-pressure match.
“Even I’ve never liked being substituted,” Kroos admitted. “But to be honest, I’ve never gone straight to the dressing room. Still, it’s easy to judge things from the outside. Unless you’re one of the players on the pitch—playing in front of 80,000 people in a 2–1 Clásico—you can’t really feel what that moment is like.”
“Those criticizing him can’t imagine that situation. Most people can’t understand what it feels like to be in his place. Maybe a few minutes later he thought, ‘I should have controlled my anger a bit better.’ I get it—it doesn’t send the perfect message. But that was an emotional moment.”
Vinicius later returned to the bench but was again involved in heated exchanges at full-time. He clashed with Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal and picked up a yellow card in the scuffle.
After the match, coach Xabi Alonso praised Vinicius for his overall performance but said he would speak with the forward privately about his behavior.
