Real Madrid and Brazil star Vinicius Junior admits he feared that he would miss the 2022 World Cup with the way LaLiga defenders targeted him.
Vinicius has become one the top performers in the Spanish top-flight over the last couple seasons, which has brought on a lot more attention from defenders.
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The 22-year-old has revealed that he and Los Blancos teammate Rodrygo were on the end of a few hard tackles just before the World Cup break.
"What happens of the field stays on the field, but it went too far," Vinicius told Reuters.
"You can come strong but they were being dirty with their challenges. Rodrygo and I suffered a lot in those last games and feared the worst, to get injured and miss the World Cup.
"When you start to become an important player, rivals come after you harder. You have to learn to deal with that.
"I learned a lot from Neymar when he played for Barcelona, he suffered a lot too. Cristiano [Ronaldo], when he played for Real, suffered a lot too.
"But it was Karim [Benzema] who told me to stay calm and have peace of mind because if the rivals are chasing you it is because you are relevant, because they are afraid of you. So that's why when I take the ball and burst forward I do with a vengeance. Yes, I can get hurt. But I'm prepared for the challenge.".
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