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| ReutersYonhap News |
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| 중계화면 |
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| APYonhap News |
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'Vinícius Junior (Real Madrid) clashed with his opponent in a match held a day after the Ballon d'Or ceremony. 'nth' controversy.
Vinicius clashed with Levante center back Unai Elgezabal at around 19 minutes of the second half when Real led 2-1 in the sixth round of the Spanish Primera Liga in the 2025-2026 season against Levante at Ciudad de Valencia in Valencia, Spain on the 23rd (Korea time).
According to local media, Vinicius approached Elgezabal, who was standing outside the penalty line, after committing a penalty foul on Kylian Mbappe (Real). Vinicius made unnecessary physical contact by poking Elgezabal's face with his hand. Elgezabal immediately complained to the referee. Carlos Álvarez, a Levante colleague nearby, also ran and blamed Vinicius for his actions.
Meanwhile, Mbappe calmly scored his team's third goal with a penalty.
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Elgezabal couldn't hold back his anger. Speaking in an interview after a 1-4 rout, he did not explain what caused the two players to fight, but voiced Vinicius' disregard for Levante.
According to the Spanish daily 'Marca', Elgezabal did not want to add fuel to the fire, but he was ignored not only by us, but by the fans, by the Levante we represent. We're people, too, and I have to say we shouldn't do that anymore. I know Vinicius is a tremendous player, but there are situations I can't handle as a human being. That's all. I want to protect my team."
Vinicius, who finished 16th at the Ballon d'Or Awards in 2025, had the best performance of the day, apart from the controversy. Starting as a left striker, he scored the first goal with a sensational right-footed out front shot in the 28th minute of the first half. It properly imitated Luca Modric (AC Milan)'s signature shot, who was a Real teammate.
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| APYonhap News |
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Vinicius assisted Franco Mastantuono's extra goal in the 38th minute. Real, who led 2-0 in the first half with Vinicius's one goal and one assist, gave Etta Eyong a comeback in the 9th minute of the second half, but Mbappe's back-to-back goals in the 19th and 21st minutes of the second half won a big three-goal victory.
'Vallon d'Or 7th' Mbappe showed his all-time scoring ability with nine goals in seven matches, including the Cup, since the opening.
Real, which entered this season under coach Xavi Alonso, is leading the way alone with all six La Liga games (18 points). After the game, Alonso praised Vinicius, who has three goals and three assists in La Liga, for playing a decisive role in the victory.
Meanwhile, the controversy took place the day after the Ballon d'Or ceremony was held on the 23rd. Vinicius, who missed the Ballon d'Or award last year and boycotted the ceremony, and Real officials and players did not attend the ceremony either. Shortly after Usman Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain) was confirmed to win the award, Vinicius shared an American hip-hop music on his personal Instagram with a photo of him leisurely saunas and lyrics saying "I've knocked down all the little rappers."
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| EPAYonhap News |
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
