'It has gone too far': Vinicius Jr opens up on players tackling him hard

"What happens on the pitch stays on the pitch, but it has gone too far. You can come strong but they were being dirty with their challenges," Vinicius Junior has told Reuters.

"Rodrygo and I suffered a lot in those last games and feared the worst, to get injured and miss the World Cup. When you start to become an important player, rivals come after you harder. You have to learn to deal with that.

"I learned a lot from Neymar when he played for Barcelona, he suffered a lot too. Cristiano, when he played for Real Madrid, suffered a lot too," the Brazilian also said.

Earlier, Carlo Ancelotti agreed that Vinicius Junior receives more 'kicks, slaps and pushes' than most La Liga players, noting that fair play is barely talked about in Spain. The boss, however, also admitted that the Brazilian acts as a provocateur most of the time.

Luckily for Vinicius, he picked up no injury and will represent his national team at the World Cup.

Source: Reuters