Opening up about the adversity he has faced at Real this season, Vinicius told reporters after the Monaco game: “The last few days have been very difficult for me. Because of the whistles, and because of everything that's been said. I'm always in the spotlight, and I don't want to be there for things that happen off the pitch, I want to be there for what I do on the pitch.”
Meanwhile, new Real boss Arbeloa was full of praise for Vinicius’ man-of-the-match performance against the Ligue 1 side, adding: “When the Bernabeu is with him, he's unstoppable. If we want to fight for trophies, we need him. Vini needs to feel loved. He's very emotional. He needs to feel that affection.”
Before Real’s reunion with Mourinho next week, they travel to Villarreal in La Liga on Saturday evening. Arbeloa’s men are currently second in the table and just a point behind Hansi Flick’s Barcelona, who entertain Real Oviedo the following day.