Lothar Matthaus, a legend of German football, has sharply criticized Vinicius Jr.'s conduct on the field, particularly his tendency to provoke opponents while simultaneously complaining when fouled. This commentary comes ahead of the highly anticipated Champions League quarter-final first leg between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich on 7/4.

While Vinicius is renowned for his exceptional dribbling and scoring, skills that have helped Real Madrid secure two Champions League and three La Liga titles, his career is also marked by numerous on-field controversies. For instance, in this season's Champions League play-off first leg, the 25-year-old forward provocatively danced in front of Benfica fans, only to later accuse Gianluca Prestianni of racial discrimination.

Speaking ahead of the upcoming clash, Matthaus stated, "Of course, Vinicius is a great player. But the problem is he constantly provokes others, and then when someone tackles him roughly, he only complains and whines."

Vinicius (left) complains about Prestianni during the Benfica - Real Madrid Champions League play-off first leg on 17/2. *Photo: Sky Sports*

Matthaus also voiced strong disapproval of Real Madrid's decision to boycott the 2024 Ballon d'Or awards. This boycott followed Vinicius's narrow loss to Rodri in the voting. According to Matthaus, Real Madrid's refusal to attend undermined the prestige of a great club with a glorious history. "Rodri was chosen and they said: 'That's unfair. One of us should have won. We will boycott.' You shouldn't do that. You must respect opponents, other teams, and players," the Bayern Munich legend emphasized.

Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are set to play their two Champions League quarter-final matches on the evenings of 7/4 and 15/4. The advancing team will face the winner of the Liverpool - PSG tie in the semi-finals. The other two quarter-final matchups in the remaining bracket are Barcelona - Atletico Madrid and Sporting - Arsenal.

In European competitions, Real Madrid holds a historical advantage over Bayern Munich, with 13 wins, 4 draws, and 11 losses. Bayern Munich last eliminated Real Madrid from the Champions League in the 2011-2012 season, securing a 3-1 penalty shootout victory in the semi-finals. However, in their four subsequent encounters across the 2013-2014, 2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2023-2024 seasons, Real Madrid consistently advanced and went on to win the title.

Matthaus himself has a history of triumph against Real Madrid, having helped Bayern Munich to a 4-2 aggregate victory in the 1986-1987 European Cup semi-finals, where he contributed two goals from the penalty spot.

By Thanh Quy (according to Sky Sports)