Real Madrid News
Mallorca defender wanted standing ovation for fouling Vinicius Jr, reveals manager
Real Madrid’s La Liga title defence took a turn for the worse as they fell to a shock 1-0 defeat to RCD Mallorca away at Son Moix today. The loss allows Barcelona an opportunity to stretch their lead at the top of the table to eight points later today when they face Sevilla.
While Los Blancos’ diminishing hopes of retaining the title are a huge concern, it was Vinicius Jr once again who dominated the headlines.
The 22-year-old forward was always going to be the centre of attraction given the comments that some Mallorca defenders had made against him leading into the game.
Antonio Raillo had targeted the Real Madrid superstar, claiming that he would not want his children to idolise him. Sometime before that, Pablo Maffeo had also made comments against the Brazilian winger, saying:
“Maybe it’s not that we all hate Vinicius, it’s that there’s a reason why. When you’re hot and he tells you you’re going down to the 2nd division, it stings, it stings inside.”
The rivalries resumed very early in the game at Son Moix, as Vinicius was repeatedly overcrowded and fouled (10 times) while the home fans also booed and whistled at him at every given opportunity.
The animosity towards Vinicius has grown to such an extent within the Mallorca camp that Maffeo, who was in a direct battle against the Brazilian, wanted to be subbed off after he fouled the Real Madrid ace so that he could get a standing ovation from the fans.
This has been revealed by Mallorca manager Javier Aguirre himself, who, speaking after the game, said (h/t El Chiringuito TV): “Maffeo asked to sub him out because he wanted a standing ovation (for fouling Vinícius). I know him.”
Real Madrid defender Nacho Fernandez and manager Carlo Ancelotti came to the defence of Vinicius after the game as the Brazilian continues to be targeted by opponents.
The 22-year-old picked up his fifth yellow card of the season today and will thus miss the next La Liga game against Elche.
Manchester City have now joined the ever-growing list of admirers for Celta Vigo midfielder and Real Madrid target Gabri Veiga, reports Jack Gaughan of the Daily Mail.
The 20-year-old midfielder has emerged as one of the breakout stars of La Liga this season, having impressed with his goalscoring abilities from the centre of the park. Indeed, the youngster has notched up nine goals in La Liga and his exploits have made the giants of Europe sit up and take notice.
Real Madrid are said to be interested in Veiga’s services heading into the summer. The Merengues have Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, and Dani Ceballos on expiring contracts and it is unlikely that all three will be renewed, especially with Jude Bellingham being on the agenda.
In case of Modric and Kroos, even if they stay, it will likely be for only a season at the most. Hence, Los Blancos could require more than one central midfielder come summer, with Veiga emerging as an option.
The 20-year-old was also attracting interest from the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Atletico Madrid. Now, Manchester City have also jumped on the bandwagon of clubs interested in Veiga’s services.
The Cityzens, who are battling Real Madrid for Bellingham as well, are set to lose Ilkay Gundogan in the summer when his contract expires. Meanwhile, Bernardo Silva’s future is also far from certain, thus necessitating the signing of another midfielder.
Veiga has a release clause worth €40 million in his contract with Celta Vigo, which should not be a problem for either Real Madrid or Manchester City.
Celta Vigo president Carlos Mourino recently admitted that the midfielder could leave the club in the summer, saying:
“We don’t want to sell Gabri Veiga, but they are going to buy him from us. And we can’t do anything there. We know some of his offers and it is impossible to reach them.
“There are several teams behind Gabri. Real Madrid? They haven’t asked us, we don’t know if they will have called the player. Of the top 10 in the Premier League, four have asked about him.”
It will certainly be interesting to see whether Real Madrid are prepared to go all out for Veiga’s signing or decide to entirely focus on their pursuit of Bellingham.
