Neymar has hit back at Manchester City star Rodri after he told Vinicius Jr to “pay attention” in order to improve as a footballer.
Rodri was named as the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, pipping his rival Vinicius Jr to the prize, leading to uproar from the Real Madrid’s fanbase. Many figures in Brazil criticised the decision to award the honour to Rodri after Vinicius netted 24 goals to help Real Madrid win La Liga and the Champions League.
Vinicius and his representatives were absent from the Ballon d’Or ceremony as Real Madrid completely boycotted the event over Rodri’s triumph and the Spanish midfielder’s comments about the Brazilian since won’t have sat well with him.
Rodri said: “I think he’s an intelligent guy and he’ll realise over time that the more he pays attention to the pitch, the better he’ll be. Like everyone, he has areas for improvement both on and off the pitch. He’s young, I’m sure that people will give him good advice and even more so when he’s at Madrid. It’s a club with values.”
Now Neymar has bit back at Rodri following his comments, replying to a social media post carrying his quotes and saying: “He became a talker now,” along with two emojis of a man putting his hand on his face and two laughing emojis.
Rodri was recognised after superb 12 months saw him win the Champions League with Manchester City and the Euros with Spain. He insisted it was “his moment” after being asked if he was offended by Vinicius’ decision not to attend.
“Why would it hurt me?” he said. “It was my moment, to enjoy with my family. The last thing I’d be thinking about is people who weren’t there, and didn’t want to participate.”
Rodri is currently out injured for the season after picking up an ACL injury, while Vinicius is enjoying another impressive season for Real Madrid, scoring 12 times so far.
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