Rivaldo exalts Vinícius Jr. and sees Koeman wronged at Barcelona

After the victory of Real Madrid over Barcelona by 2-1, last Sunday, Vinicius Jr. gained a lot of attention in the national and international press for his excellent performance at the Camp Nou.

A former Barça player, Rivaldo praised the ex-flamenguist, who is increasingly adapted and currently the absolute titleholder at Real Madrid. The Brazilian analyzed Vinícius Jr.’s phase and spoke about the fight for position in the Brazilian team’s attack one year before the 2022 World Cup.

“Vinícius Jr. had another good performance at El Clásico, appearing with great confidence to face his opponents and creating many difficulties in the defense of Barcelona with his skill. I think this has the merit of coach Ancelotti, who gave him great confidence by putting him as a regular on the team, something that was not always the case with Zidane”, said Rivaldo.

“He’s also hitting the goal more this season and that makes his confidence on the field easier. I only have praise for the boy, who is establishing himself as a key player in the Real Madrid team, confirming my opinion that he should not be loaned or play for Castilla as he was considered the previous season. Now, it is necessary to continue, because next year there is a World Cup and it is important to be confident in this competition to fight for a place on the team. It won’t be easy, since the Brazilian team has great options ahead”, he added.

Barcelona’s idol, Rivaldo came to the defense of Ronald Koeman, who was fired from Barcelona on Wednesday after losing to Rayo Vallecano.

“Koeman was back to being very demanding after the defeat at El Clásico, even with some fans kicking his car. This is all very sad and I don’t even consider these people to be really Barcelona fans. It’s necessary to recognize that Koeman left the Dutch team to assume this delicate position of leading Barcelona in very difficult times and I don’t think that other idols of the club had that courage”, said Rivaldo.

“He’s always been an unconditional fan of the club and clearly doesn’t deserve all this criticism. He’s been doing his job the best he knows how and the responsibilities aren’t all his, after all, he has a weaker squad than in previous years and it’s not always easy to give confidence to all the players. If another coach comes, this is no guarantee that things will get better as it is the players who take the field. I think the Dutch coach has been wronged in all of this, as he has shown himself to be courageous and faithful to the club in a time of great difficulty”, he said.