Neymar has fired back at Manchester City's Rodri following his advice to Vinicius Jr to "pay attention" for footballing improvement. The controversy erupted after Rodri was crowned the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner, edging out Vinicius Jr, which sparked outrage among Real Madrid supporters.
Brazilian pundits also joined in the criticism, questioning the decision as Vinicius had scored 24 goals contributing to Real Madrid's La Liga and Champions League victories.
Real Madrid boycotted the Ballon d'Or ceremony in protest of Rodri's win and his subsequent remarks about Vinicius Jr have only added fuel to the fire.
Rodri commented: "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."
Neymar's retort came via social media where he responded to Rodri's comments by posting: "He became a talker now," accompanied by an emoji of a man facepalming and two laughing emojis.
Rodri's accolade follows an impressive year where he secured the Champions League title with Manchester City and the Euros with Spain. When questioned about Vinicius Jr's absence from the ceremony, Rodri asserted it was "his moment" and seemed unfazed by the snub.
"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."
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Rodri is currently sidelined due to an ACL injury for the season, whereas Vinicius continues to impress at Real Madrid, bagging 12 goals this campaign.
