Neymar has hit back at Manchester City star Rodri after telling Vinicius Jr to “pay attention” to improve as a footballer.
Rodri was named winner of the 2024 Ballon d'Or, edging rival Vinicius Jr to the award, sparking an uproar among Real Madrid's fanbase. Many figures in Brazil criticized the decision to award the honor to Rodri after Vinicius scored 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 boycotted the event entirely following Rodri's triumph and the Spanish midfielder's comments about the Brazilian since then will not have gone down well with him.
Rodri said: “I think he is an intelligent man and he will realize over time that the more he pays attention to the pitch, the better he will be. Like everyone, he has areas for improvement both on and off the pitch “He is. When he is young, I am sure people will give him good advice, and even more so when he plays for Madrid. It is a club with values.”
Now Neymar has hit back at Rodri over his comments, replying to a social media post with his quotes and saying: “He's become a talker now,” along with two emojis of a man putting his hand on his face lays and two laughing emojis.
Rodri was recognized after 12 fantastic months in which he won the Champions League with Manchester City and the European Championship 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 would be thinking about is people who weren't there and didn't want to participate.”
Rodri is currently out injured for the season after suffering an ACL injury, while Vinicius is enjoying another impressive season for Real Madrid, scoring 12 times so far.
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