🚨 Sergio Ramos on Vinicius Jr.’s reaction to being substituted against Roma and what it means to represent Real Madrid: “I know Vinicius very well. I knew him when he was a young boy arriving at Real Madrid, when people were questioning whether he was ready to play for this club. He has worked incredibly hard to become the player he is today. So when I criticise him, it’s not because I don’t appreciate him. It’s because I know what Real Madrid means. I remember something from my time as captain. There was a young player who was angry after being substituted. He came into the dressing room complaining about the coach. I asked him, ‘Did we win?’ He said, ‘Yes, but that’s not the point.’ I told him, ‘At Real Madrid, that is always the point.’ He looked at me like I hadn’t understood him. I said, ‘Listen, you can be angry. You can believe you deserved to stay on. But don’t make the rest of us feel like we’ve done something wrong by winning without you.’ That’s something young players have to learn. And Vinícius is not a young boy anymore. He’s one of the most important players at Real Madrid. With that comes responsibility. I watched what happened against Roma. Madrid were 3–1 down when he was substituted. He was unhappy. You could see it. Then the team fought back and won 4–3. For me, that should have been the story. The players who stayed on the pitch refused to accept defeat. The substitutes made their contributions. The whole team found a way to win. That’s Real Madrid. But now we’re discussing why Vinicius was taken off. I don’t like that. Because I remember what it was like being captain when the team was struggling. Sometimes you needed your best players to do something special. Sometimes you needed somebody to accept a difficult decision so another player could help. Nobody enjoyed sitting on the bench. Cristiano didn’t enjoy it. I didn’t enjoy it. Luka didn’t enjoy it. But you cannot have eleven players who believe the team stops functioning the moment they leave the pitch. That’s not a football club. And I would say something else to Vinícius. You have given the supporters beautiful memories. They have celebrated your goals, defended you when people criticised you, and stood beside you through difficult moments. But that doesn’t mean they cannot demand more from you. Real Madrid supporters have watched some of the greatest players in history wear that shirt. They know the difference between a player having a difficult match and a player forgetting what the shirt represents. If I were still in that dressing room, I would sit with Vinicius privately. I would tell him, ‘Brother, you are too important to this club to make everything about yourself.’ And if he told me he was angry because he wanted to help the team win, I would say, ‘Good. Then you should be the happiest person in this dressing room. Because the team won.’ That’s the mentality. The day Real Madrid starts worrying more about keeping one player happy than winning football matches, it stops being the Real Madrid I know. Vinicius has the quality to be remembered as one of the greats of this club. But the shirt was here before him. And it will still be here long after all of us.”