Xavi had it clear from the lineup. He wanted a bulldog on Vinicius and the chosen one was Ronald Araújo, who dried up the Brazilian with a sticky marking that played within the limits of legality, especially with a highly protested tackle in which the Uruguayan hit the Madrid player’s leg outside of the field of play. An image, the one contrary sending to came on the ground, which is becoming more common this season. Right now He is the footballer who has received the most fouls in the First Division (53) with an important distance over the next one against whom they commit the most infractions, which is the rayista Isi (45).
The average is revealing. Vinicius has gone from receiving 2.3 fouls per game to the 3.5 that he has been fouled this season. The paradox is that although the rivals’ strategy involves hammering the Brazilian with fouls, they are not usually accompanied by a warning. Iago Aspas is the one who has forced the most cards in LaLiga with ten while Vinicius is part of a mini squad of three footballers (along with Morata and Samu Lino) with nine cards caused this campaign. The arithmetic is simple: paste Vinicius pays off.
Vinicius is going through a very lackluster section and one of the reasons may be in the rigor with which his rivals are used. This year he is receiving more sticks, even, than last season. If in 2021-22 he was the fourth footballer who received the most fouls in the First Division (behind only Fekir, Munir and Guedes) in this classification he commands and if we extend it to other competitions, there is a striking circumstance: Last season they were awarded five penalties… and this time none.
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In the Super Cup, Vinicius suffered his usual average. He suffered three more fouls that controversial action by Araújo. Significant because although the Regulations prevent calling a foul -despite the obvious contact- because the action took place once both crossed the side line of the field of play, it does allow the offender to be warned with a card (yellow or red) at the referee’s decision. In this case, De Burgos Bengoetexea left the foul play without punishing and from the VAR neither González González advised him to go to the monitor to assess if the entry was worthy of a direct red. A kick that went to limbo.
Vinicius is having to get used to it. This season, as Real Madrid’s internal key scale, he doubles the number of fouls received in official matches (71) to the next one who hits the most times with his bones on the ground, which is his compatriot Rodrygo (34 fouls). came it has become a big game for rivals.