'Mbappe's arrival should clear his mind!' - Madrid media attacks Vinicius after Leipzig row

Real Madrid emerged from the Champions League round of 16 after barely edging out RB Leipzig over two hard-fought legs.

It wasn’t a vintage display on Wednesday at the Bernabeu, with Madrid drawing 1-1 on the night to shade the tie overall by two goals to one.

Vinicius Junior scored the only Madrid goal of the leg, latching onto Jude Bellingham’s through ball and finishing well.

READ MORE: Onana sparks crazy transfer rumour after buying house 1000 miles from Manchester

However, there were considerable questions over whether or not the Brazilian should have been even on the pitch by that stage.

The 23-year-old became embroiled in an ugly spat with the Red Bulls’ captain, Willi Orban, in which he knocked the Hungarian to the ground before appearing to shove him in the throat.

The Italian referee on the night, Davide Massa, opted to show the Brazil international only a yellow card, sparking outrage from RB players and fans who demanded further action.

Vinicius behaviour called into question

Although Vini scored the crucial goal, which was cancelled out on the night by Orban’s equaliser, much has been made of his behavior in the analysis since the game.

“Real Madrid’s shirt does not tolerate this type of behaviour,” club legend and Champions League winner Predrag Mijatovic told Cadena SER.

“Vinicius has to find a way to calm down. If not he will never become a legendary player, regardless of the good he does in terms of his football.

“You see his teammates dragging him away trying to calm him down, as if they were talking to a child.

“They also tell you, without asking, that he has to change his attitude because he irritates opponents and even his own teammates,” concluded the man who scored the winning goal in the 1998 Champions League final.

Vinicius is a Real Madrid mainstay, inheriting the No.7 shirt made famous by Raul and Cristiano Ronaldo, and scoring the winning goal in the 2022 Champions League final.

Vinicius at a crossroads with Mbappe arrival

However, he could well find himself at a crossroads this summer. A high-profile signing is looming in the shape of Kylian Mbappe and the Frenchman likes to operate in Vini’s area of the pitch.

Some in Madrid believe Mbappe’s arrival should help Vini sharpen up his ideas but the flipside is that it risks destabilising his behaviour even further.

“Someone at the club definitely needs to put that Brazilian in his place,” wrote star columnist Enrique Ortego in Relevo.

“I know for a fact that everyone from the offices to the locker room is bent on getting him out of the confusion that grips him. But either they are incapable or the lad is already beyond help.

“Mbappe's arrival should clear his mind, but it risks obfuscating him even more.”

Could Vini leave Real Madrid?

Vinicius has a contract with Madrid until 2027 but there is uncertainty around his future with Mbappe arriving.

It’s been speculated that he could move to the Premier League with Manchester United listed among his suitors.