The statistic that frustrates Vinicius Junior

Earlier this week, Carlo Ancelotti was quoted as saying the following when asked about Vinicius Junior’s altercations with referees and opposing players:

“It’s being suggested that Vinícius is a troublemaker, but he is the player who is fouled the most, hit the most, pushed the most. That’s the reality. Fair play isn’t as common in Latin countries. It’s much more common in other countries. But, fair play is one of the most important parts of football. Trying to provoke a player isn’t fair play, whether it’s physically or verbally, but Vinícius needs to improve in his response to this. He’s young, so he will improve in this aspect.”

The statistics back up Carlo’s claim — in fact, Vinicius Junior is the most fouled player in Spain and in the top 3 most fouled players in the big 5 leagues:

Vinicius receives 3.3 fouls every 90 minutes — his next closest companion in this statistic is Enes Unal with almost a full foul less per gam. The Brazilian has been visibly frustrated on the field in recent weeks and the data gives credence to the Real Madrid winger’s lack of protection from referees.