Sneijder slams Otamendi for showing off World Cup tattoo to Vinicius
Former Real Madrid midfielder Wesley Sneijder criticized Benfica defender Nicolas Otamendi for showing off his 2022 FIFA World Cup-winning tattoos to Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior during the Champions League clash in Lisbon. The incident occurred after Vinicius scored the first goal with a curved shot five minutes into the second half. Otamendi's reaction drew Sneijder's criticism, who called the behavior childish and questioned Otamendi's mental state. Sneijder added that if he were Vinicius, he would remind Otamendi that Messi won the World Cup, not him. The match was halted for 10 minutes after Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni allegedly made a racial comment toward Vinicius, and Vinicius was later hit by a thrown object. Real Madrid won narrowly, a crucial result ahead of their return match in Madrid on February 25.