Brazilian has often been involved in controversial on-pitch incidents
Levante captain Unai Elgezabal has criticised Vinicius Junior for what he described as a “lack of respect” during Real Madrid’s 4-1 win on Tuesday night.
The defender was involved in a heated exchange with the Brazilian forward in the second half. Elgezabal had fouled Mbappe to concede a penalty which threatened to widen his side’s deficit, and then he reacted angrily to something Vinicius had apparently whispered to him.
“When there’s a lack of respect to us, to the fans, and to the team we represent, you have to say enough is enough,” said Elgezabal. “Vinicius is obviously a player with a lot of potential, but for me, it wasn’t the moment. It was out of place.”
Vinicius had an impressive game against Levante, scoring Madrid’s opener with an excellent strike just before the half hour, and playing full time for the first time under new manager Xabi Alonso.
The Brazilian has often been involved in controversial on-pitch incidents. Earlier this year he was handed a two-game suspension for shoving Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski.
He was also among four Real Madrid players probed by Uefa in March for offensive gestures towards Atletico Madrid fans, although he was eventually the only one of the four to escape punishment, after Uefa stated that no disciplinary proceedings were brought against him.
