Vinicius Junior had to be restrained by Xabi Alonso and his Real Madrid teammates on Thursday night, after Atletico manager Diego Simeone taunted the Brazilian during a heated Supercopa de Espana semi-final.
Real Madrid secured their place in the final of this season’s Supercopa de Espana as goals from Federico Valverde and Rodrygo sealed a 2-1 win in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
It was a typically feisty affair between the local rivals, and tempers boiled over with ten minutes remaining of the second half, when Vinicius Junior and Diego Simeone clashed on the King Abdullah Stadium touchline.
According to Spanish publication AS, TV channel Movistar Plus showed footage of the Argentine goading Vinicius during the first half.
He is reported to have said: ‘Florentino (Perez) is going to kick you out. Remember where you heard it first.”
Later on, Simeone managed to get Vinicius’ attention again, but this time, he asked the Brazilian to listen to the crowd who were booing him.
This soon led to a tense exchange when the forward was replaced by Arda Guler, with Vinicius having to be held back by his teammates, Xabi Alonso and the rest of his coaching staff before referee Busquets Ferrer brandished a yellow card.
Simeone, who also received a yellow card, addressed the situation in his post-match comments.
“Vini Jr? I have nothing to say. Ever since my playing career, I’ve said that what happens on the pitch stays on the pitch,” he said, as per Fabrizio Romano. “I have a lot of respect for Carvajal, for all Real Madrid players. I clearly told him what it looks like from the outside.”
A far-from-amused Xabi Alonso was also asked about the confrontation between Vinicius and Simeone.
“I heard what Simeone said to Vini, and I didn’t like it,” he said, as per Le Journal du Real. “You can not talk like that, some things cross the line.”
