Opta stats show that Karim Benzema stopped passing to Real Madrid teammate Vinicius Jr after half-time in their clash with Borussia Monchengladbach.
This fact comes after allegations that Benzema instructed left-back Ferland Mendy not to pass to the 20-year-old Brazilian at the halfway point of last night's Champions League tie.
Benzema himself played three passes to Vinicius Jr in the first half - but then none at all in the second half.
It was a challenging night for Zinedine Zidane's side as they went down 2-0 via two strikes from Marcus Thuram. However late goals from Benzema and Casemiro at least rescued a draw and means Real are not pointless after two games, having already suffered a shock home defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk in their opener.
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Against Gladbach, cameras picked up a conversation between Benzema and Mendy in the tunnel. The striker is allegedly caught telling Mendy in French not to pass to Vinicius Jr, who is just inches away from the conversation.
"He does what he wants," Benzema said, per Téléfoot. "Don't play with him, brother. He plays against us."
A brutal assessment if the footage is being interpreted accurately, even at a club like Real Madrid which is renowned for having a tough dressing room where high standards are set and winning is all-important.
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However "highlights" of Vinicius Jr's play on the night are now being analysed and seem to show that the brutal takedown of his performance may be warranted to some extent.
The attacker gave away possession several times in a disjoined first-half display. He also missed a good chance to score just after the restart and it is notable that Real's comeback occurred after Vinicius Jr had been substituted, replaced by Eden Hazard with 20 minutes to go and with his side 2-0 down.
Of course it's understandable that a player who only turned 20 in the summer would struggle with inconsistency as he looks to cement a place in Real's first team and justify the €46 million the club spent in 2018 to sign him from Flamengo.
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He is currently bottom of the standings in Marca's player ratings for the Gladbach game under the headline: "Vinicius continues to disappoint".
Of course, nobody deserves the treatment Vinicius Jr received from a senior teammate - if the stories around Benzema's actions prove true. However it's also clear that Real's No 20 will have to up his game if he's going to survive at a club that has arguably the highest expectations in European football.
Featured image credit: PA Images
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Football News, Vinicius Junior, Football, Karim Benzema, Champions League, Real Madrid
