"Look at Messi, he got kicked all the time" - Pundit asks Real Madrid's Vini Jr to 'learn to shut up' after recent sending off

Former Dutch footballer Ruud Gullit recently used the example of Lionel Messi's behavior while advising Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr. on how to deal with difficult situations. Gullit's comments pertained to the Brazilian's altercation with Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski during Los Blancos' 2-1 win over them in LaLiga.

During Real Madrid's clash against Valencia on January 3, Vinicius Jr. was shown a straight red card in the 79th minute for slapping Stole Dimitrievski on his head. According to referee Cesar Soto Grado's official report, the Brazilian was sent off for "hitting an opponent in the head deliberately, without the ball in play, and using non-negligible force." Dimitrievski was also shown a yellow for "arguing with an opponent without resorting to insults or threats."

After Vinicius's red card, the forward had to be restrained by his teammates from displaying his anger on the pitch. Pundit Ruud Gullit shared his two cents on the incident during an appearance on Ziggo Sport, quoting Lionel Messi's behavior as an example.

"I understand Vinicius feels like he got screwed by the goalkeeper but that same behavior applies to Vinicius too. If you provoke the opponent, then you simply can't expect sympathy. You just need to learn to shut up. Look at Messi, he got kicked all the time too and he just got up and kept on playing," Gullit said.

"But Vinicius constantly keeps complaining, constantly keeps provoking, toying with the opposite fans, yea.. then you are going to get it. And I'm sure Real Madrid tell him this too, but it looks like he just can't let go of this behavior," he added.

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When Lionel Messi named Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos as the player who made him 'most angry'

L to R: Sergio Ramos and Lionel Messi - Source: Getty

In an interview on the YouTube channel Listos a Todo, Lionel Messi named former Real Madrid superstar Sergio Ramos as the player who made him the angriest on the pitch. The Argentine has clashed with the legendary defender multiple times, especially during El Clasicos.

"With Sergio Ramos I fought a lot. He was the player I got the most angry with. Later we were teammates [at PSG], but in the Clasicos we always grabbed onto each other. The classics were intense," he said (via Forbes).

Ramos and Messi have faced each other 44 times for club and country, out of which 42 were El Clasicos. The Argentine superstar won 19 times, lost 16 times, and drew nine times against the former Real Madrid captain.

Despite being involved in multiple heated clashes over the years, La Pulga was teammates with Sergio Ramos for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) between 2021 and 2023. The duo played 46 matches together with two joint-goal participations.