Van der Vaart and Danny Blind blasts Vinicius Junior diving

Dutch legend Rafael van der Vaart and former Ajax defender Danny Blind have strongly criticized Vinicius Junior for his behaviour in Real Madrid’s 2–1 Champions League quarter-final defeat to Bayern Munich.

Speaking on Ziggo Sport after the match, both pundits admitted the Brazilian remains a constant danger but argued his conduct is becoming increasingly hard to ignore.

Danny Blind acknowledged Vinicius’ quality but was irritated by his repeated reactions to contact. “Well, look, he continues to be a serious threat. Given his speed, he could have gone around Neuer in that moment in the 61st minute. But, of course, he annoyed us again. He thinks every minor contact is a penalty,” Blind said, pointing to one key moment that summed up their frustration.

Van der Vaart went even further, branding the winger’s theatrics a blight on his game. “It’s terrible. How do you get him to stop doing that? I think it’s very unfortunate because he is such a good player. You don’t really want to talk about it, but it’s incredibly annoying. He goes down after a light nudge, then gets up and demands a red card. It’s sad,” he insisted. Their comments add fresh fuel to the long-running debate around Vinicius’ on-pitch behaviour.