"An ugly and dirty act": former Barcelona player opens fire on Vinicius

Valdano defended him

Diaz de Mera's red card for Vinicius Junior against Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu is still dominating the conversation. The Brazilian grabbed Saliba's hair before scoring what would have been Real Madrid's second goal, and opinion has split down the middle: some see a clear dismissal, others see nothing malicious at all.

Former Barcelona player Gerard Lopez went in hard, labelling the act "ugly, dirty and treacherous" on Movistar Plus. For him, the whole affair only became a talking point because of where it happened and who did it.

Lopez said: "It is an action that reminds me of what we used to see in the school playground when things ended in a fight. The incident has been blown out of all proportion because it happened at the Bernabeu, because it involves Vinicius, and because it came before a goal was scored, but there is nothing controversial here. It is a textbook red card."

Jorge Valdano saw it differently. The former Madrid player, coach and sporting director read the moment as pure instinct rather than anything calculated, while still conceding Vinicius had crossed a line.

Valdano explained: "I distinguish between spitting, for example, and what happened here. It is a completely instinctive movement. He felt surrounded, so he tried to get rid of his opponents in the most unsporting way available to him, but I do not see intent or malice in this action."