Atletico Madrid News
Vinicius Jr’s entourage furious with Atletico Madrid fans and La Liga president – report
Real Madrid are set to lock horns with cross-town rivals Atletico Madrid tonight in the quarterfinals of Copa Del Rey. It is an important game for both entities and it appears flairs are going up in the Spanish capital.
Heading into this contest, Atletico Madrid fans hung a doll of dressed in a Vinicius Junior shirt off a bridge, with a banner reading: “Madrid hates Real.”
This is the latest instance of Vinicius’ being targeted by opponent fans, with the forward already making headlines for being the most fouled player in La Liga.
He has been quite vocal about his treatment by the league’s defenders while the Brazilian has also become a subject of racism earlier in the season.
According to Jorge Picon, this recent incident in Madrid has left Vinicius’ camp further infuriated. The journalist suggests the player’s entourage is frustrated at the incident and particularly blames Javier Tebas.
They believe the president of La Liga has not done enough to prevent acts such as this. Vinicius has been vocal about the role of the league in the past as well, notably blaming the authorities for not doing enough to eradicate racism in Spanish football.
La Liga were quick to respond on the previous occasion. But this time around, Vinicius’ camp has decided not to come up with any official complaint or statement against the act by the Atletico Madrid fans.
The Brazilian, though, will be more than determined to prove a point when Real Madrid meet Los Colchoneros at the Santiago Bernabeu later tonight. Vinicius is likely to start in his customary left-wing role, where he will likely face the challenge of Nahuel Molina.
The winner of this contest will go straight to the semi-final of the Copa Del Rey, a competition where Real Madrid, in particular, have not done well in recent times.
Atletico Madrid News
Atletico Madrid to rival Inter, AC Milan and Roma for 23-year-old centre-forward
Atletico Madrid are set to enter the market for another striker in the summer transfer window even though they signed Memphis Depay in January from Barcelona.
And according to Italian journalist Giacomo Iacobellis, Atletico Madrid are interested in signing 23-year-old striker Mateo Retegui, who is also on the radars of AC Milan, Inter and AS Roma.
Retegui, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, also has Italian citizenship and has recently been called up by Roberto Mancini to the national team squad for the upcoming UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers.
The 23-year-old striker is currently plying his trade for Argentine outfit Tigre, on loan from Boca Juniors, having joined in February last year. He has made a solid impression so far in his time with his temporary club and has six goals in seven league appearances this season so far.
It has alerted Atletico Madrid, who are on the lookout for a new centre-forward. Depay was brought in earlier this year to replace Joao Felix, who left on loan and is likely to be sold permanently to Chelsea in the summer.
Having lost Matheus Cunha as well during the winter, Diego Simeone’s side do not have great depth up top, especially with Alvaro Morata not performing consistently. Hence, a new centre-forward could arrive at the Civitas Metropolitano, with Retegui emerging as an option.
Retegui’s loan deal runs until the end of this year, with Tigre having the option to make the transfer permanent. His contract with Boca Juniors expires at the end of December 2024.
Apart from Atletico, Italian clubs like AS Roma, AC Milan and Inter Milan are also keen on the 23-year-old and it remains to be seen if Retegui moves to Europe come summer.
