Vinicius Junior was the clear standout on the pitch for Real Madrid in their 2-1 Champions League semifinal Remontada against European Clasico rivals Bayern Munich at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The match had it all from wonderful individual play, incredible Manuel Neuer saves, masterful Carlo Ancelotti managing, heroics from an unlikely source in Joselu, and some late-game controversy courtesy of the referees.
There were so many forgotten highlights within the match, too, including a moment from Vinicius Junior that didn’t have to do with his relentless dribbling against Bayern Munich stars Joshua Kimmich and Matthijs de Ligt.
In this case, Vinicius Jr. trolled the living daylights out of Kimmich – a known troll himself – to shave valuable moments off the clock for Real Madrid.
I'd genuinely be concerned if a player WASN'T time wasting in the last seconds of a UCL semi-final
He has both Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos in him at 23, absolutely beautiful.pic.twitter.com/8f6Bx1OtGP
— Noodle Vini (@vini_ball) May 9, 2024
Sergio Ramos is the greatest defender of his generation – and maybe even in history – and his leadership and mastering of the Dark Arts proved vital in five Real Madrid Champions League triumphs.
Vinicius Jr is gunning for his second Champions League trophy, and even though he is the best player in the world as an elite attacker with staggering UCL goal and assist totals, the Brazilian icon isn’t above some of the time-wasting tactics you would expect from a grizzled midfielder or defender.
That’s the thing about Vinicius Jr. He is willing to do the dirty work for Real Madrid and isn’t just about grabbing headlines with dazzling skills or game-winning goals and assists.
Bayern Munich, Joshua Kimmich, and his opponents won’t like moments like this, but in a Champions League semifinal with everything on the line, Real Madrid fans appreciate someone willing to follow in the footsteps of a Ramos or Casemiro and do the little things like this to waste time and even get under an opponent’s skin.
Given Real Madrid fans thought Kimmich flopped on the disallowed goal, they will like Vini Jr. doing this to the German midfielder even more.
Plus, with Kimmich linked to Barcelona, this may give a future Clasico a bit of extra ammo with a callback to the semifinal where Vinicius Jr. relentlessly roasted him.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He has been an editor for NFL Spin Zone, Daily DDT for pro wrestling, Autzen Zoo covering the Oregon Ducks, Musket Fire covering the New England Patriots, The Real Champs covering Real Madrid, Old Juve covering Juventus, Rush The Kop covering Liverpool, and Release The Knappen covering Schalke. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.