Ex-Real Madrid scout slams ‘brainless’ Vinicius Junior after Champions League exit

Former Real Madrid scout Manolo Romero has launched a scathing attack on Vinicius Junior following the Spanish giants’ dramatic Champions League exit at the hands of Bayern Munich. The veteran talent-spotter questioned the Brazilian’s footballing intelligence and clinical edge after a chaotic 6-4 aggregate defeat ended Madrid’s European campaign.

Madrid suffered a heartbreaking quarter-final elimination after Michael Olise and Luis Diaz scored late goals to secure a 4-3 second-leg victory for Bayern. The 15-time winners led three times on the night through Arda Guler and Kylian Mbappe but were hampered by Eduardo Camavinga’s late red card. Romero has identified Vinicius’ lack of ruthlessness as a primary reason for the failure, noting that the squad suffered as a result of his poor finishing.

The former scout expressed his exhaustion with players he deems to be lacking tactical maturity while representing the most prestigious club in football history. He recalled his time coaching youth football to highlight the importance of discipline and mental application on the training pitch.

Lamenting the current state of the Madrid attack and the lack of progress in specific areas of the game, Romero told Cadena SER: “How many shows have I spent saying they need to work on their finishing, that they need to work on their brains? I see his [Vinicius] brain isn’t workable, but his finishing is. Let’s work on it. It’s the reality. The first thing is to sign players who have brains. I’m tired of having brainless players wearing the most glorious shirt in football history.”