FFormer Belgian international Eden Hazard admires Vinicius Junior for his former Real Madrid team-mate’s enjoyment and love of playing football, but fears the pressure the Brazilian endures off the field could lead to him retiring at the young age of 30.
“He thinks about a lot of things before the game, so sometimes I say to myself, ‘Poor guy,'” Hazard told public broadcaster RTBF.
Vini Junior melts the hearts of Real Madrid fans with an unexpected gesture with a young fan
He thinks a lot before the game, so sometimes I say to myself: “Poor guy.”
The former Belgian captain, who retired from professional football at the age of 32, knows the Brazilian well, having spent four seasons together in the Real Madrid dressing room but playing just 27 games together, during which time he noticed that Vinicius was “stronger mentally and physically” in the way he handled pressure.
“Now it’s more about what he’s doing and what he’s struggling with than his contribution on the pitch. People forget what an extraordinary player he is. That must weigh heavily on him. It can’t be easy to go to a match and think only about football,” he said.
When you dance, dance in a certain way so that people will love you. Ronaldinho also danced, but I don’t remember seeing anything like this.
Beyond the controversies that Vini usually gets embroiled in, Hazard has found similarities between the way he understands the sport and the Brazilian’s. “He’s a guy who just loves football, loves playing and just wants to have fun. He’s a bit like me when I was on the pitch,” he concluded.
If given the opportunity to give him advice, Hazard would advise caution. “I would say: ‘Be careful’. Play how you want to play, but be careful. Everyone is waiting for you, so play football, have fun and entertain us real football fans. When you dance, dance a certain way so that people love you. Ronaldinho also danced, but I don’t remember seeing all these stories,” he said.
