Former Barcelona defender feels sorry for Vinicius: he no longer intimidates opponents
A fading glow
Rarely does a former Barcelona player speak with such sympathy about a Real Madrid icon. Yet France's Samuel Umtiti has done exactly that, admitting he feels "sorry" for Vinicius Junior and insisting the Brazilian is no longer the fearsome force who once turned matches on their head single-handedly.
Umtiti made the comments while analysing Real Madrid's match against AEK Athens for Spanish radio station "Cadena SER", shining another light on the Brazilian's disappointing start to the season with the Royal Club.
"I feel sorry for him. It saddens me," Umtiti said. "Vinicius hasn't been at his best for weeks, months, even seasons. It's clear he lacks the confidence he once had on the left wing."
The former French defender went further: "In the past, when he received the ball, you knew he would pose a threat. Now, he no longer has that."
Few know the damage Vinicius can do to a defence better than Umtiti, who faced him across four Clasicos in a Barcelona shirt. This season, though, he reckons the Brazilian is struggling to be decisive, "even in the final touch".
"He loses the ball a lot, and he no longer strikes fear into opponents," the former Barcelona man continued.
A warning followed for Real Madrid's fans after a run of results that fell short. Umtiti pointed out that Vinicius is nowhere near his best, while other talented players scrap for minutes without getting the same chances.
Then came the crucial question. "What do we do with Vinicius?" he asked, before answering himself: "When you put him on the left, it means you put Diomande on the right, where we know Diomande does not perform well and struggles."
He added: "Either we move into a system of clear competition between the players, and the best plays, or there is a hierarchy that forces Vinicius to keep playing on the left wing for now. In the end, results are the deciding factor, and Real Madrid are winning, but Vinicius is no longer at that level, neither in La Liga nor in the Champions League. I feel very sorry for Vinicius."
For Umtiti, the root of the decline lies in Vinicius's crushing disappointment at missing out on the 2024 Ballon d'Or. He sees it as the turning point in the Brazilian's career.
"Over the past three seasons, and since he did not win the Ballon d'Or, his level has been affected," Umtiti concluded, "and we are finding it difficult to recover the lively, dribbling Vinicius on the left wing."
