Lothar Matthäus has launched a blistering attack on Real Madrid ahead of his former club Bayern Munich’s Champions League quarter final, branding Vinicius Junior a serial provoker and slamming Los Blancos for their “unsympathetic” behaviour on and off the pitch.
The 1990 World Cup winner did not hold back on Sky 90, taking aim at both Real’s conduct and their star players as the two European heavyweights prepare to lock horns at the Bernabeu on Tuesday night.
“Vinicius is, of course, a great player, but he provokes endlessly,” Matthäus said. “Then, when you really tackle him on the pitch, he just complains, then he cries. It’s a bit typical of him.”
It is not the first time the Brazilian has faced such accusations. But coming from a man of Matthäus’ stature, the words carry extra weight.
Ballon d’Or boycott ‘disrespectful’
The 65 year old then turned his attention to Real Madrid’s decision to boycott the 2024 Ballon d’Or gala after Rodri won the award ahead of their own stars.
“Rodri was named World Footballer of the Year, and then they said: ‘Yes, unfair, it should have been one of us.’ So we’re boycotting it,” Matthäus recalled.
“You don’t do that. Out of respect for your opponents, the other teams and players, you don’t do that. The press saw it in a negative light too, and so a club that has achieved great things and has a truly great history somehow loses some of its prestige.”
His conclusion was blunt: “Well, I don’t think it’s right either how Real Madrid have behaved in recent years.”
Babbel: ‘The most unsympathetic club in Europe’
Matthäus was not alone in his criticism. His former Bayern teammate Markus Babbel went even further on Sport 1’s ‘Doppelpass’ programme.
“Real are the most unsympathetic club in Europe,” Babbel said. “It would be great if Bayern went through.”
The comment was met with loud applause from the audience. The Ballon d’Or controversy was discussed at length, but the underlying sentiment was clear, Real Madrid have rubbed a lot of people up the wrong way.
Matthäus makes Bayern favourites
Despite Real Madrid’s history in this competition, 15 European Cups and counting, Matthäus believes Bayern are the favourites to progress.
“I can already see certain weaknesses at Real that I didn’t see in the great Real Madrid of old,” he said. “You can see that from the changes of manager alone. That leaves its mark.”
He pointed to the struggles of Kylian Mbappe and the ongoing distractions surrounding Vinicius as reasons for optimism.
“Mbappé has been struggling for a long time, and there’s a lot of talk about Vinicius not just about his sporting performances,” Matthäus added. “There are many other issues at Real that I see as a major advantage for Bayern.”
The tie ahead
First leg: Tuesday at the Bernabeu. Second leg: eight days later at the Allianz Arena.
Bayern are in fine form. Real are, by their own lofty standards, slightly vulnerable. And the noise coming out of Germany suggests the visitors believe they can win.
Matthäus has put his neck on the line. Babbel has called Real the most unsympathetic club in Europe. Now the players have to settle it on the pitch.
If Bayern knock Real out, the celebrations in Munich will be loud. And the criticism from Germany will feel very justified indeed.
