Toni Kroos appears to aim brutal dig at Real Madrid megastar with PSG reference: ‘They start to do bad gestures’

“He exits the pitch, shakes his coach’s hand and sits on the bench cheering his teammates. There are some counterexamples to this.”

Vinicius did not take his substitution lightly. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

The comments immediately led to speculation online because of the similarities many fans drew with Vinicius’ situation at Real Madrid under former manager Xabi Alonso.

Earlier this season, Vinicius was substituted during El Clasico by Alonso, with reports later claiming the relationship between the player and the coach became strained afterwards.

The Brazilian’s reactions during substitutions and moments of frustration have frequently been discussed throughout the campaign.

Kroos then appeared to double down on his point while continuing to praise Dembele’s attitude from the bench.

“You look at Ousmane Dembele, and how he’s yelling at his teammates to keep fighting, from the bench.

“That’s not what 90% of players who think they’re stars would do. They start to do bad gestures on the pitch, then sit on the bench sulking.”

Although Kroos never directly mentioned Vinicius by name, the context of his comments has already triggered reactions across social media.