Carlo Ancelotti revealed after the game that it’s critical to pay attention to the opinions of seasoned players like Luka Modric, who has been outspoken in his criticism of Vinicius Junior during Real Madrid’s most recent Copa del Rey match against Leganes.

Ancelotti fielded a rotating team and, just before Leganes equalized the score at 2-2, brought in Vinicius from the bench at halftime. Even though the squad scored a late goal to win, there was a lot of tension in the second half, and Vinicius became the main source of annoyance for his teammates.

Modric was seen reprimanding Vinicius for what seemed to be a lack of defensive commitment at one crucial point when Madrid was positioned to defend a corner. A furious argument ensued as Vinicius motioned back at a clearly agitated Modric, who was later supported in doing so by Federico Valverde.

In response to questions over the incident following the game, Ancelotti stated he had no idea what had happened but reiterated his faith in Modric’s leadership. He told the journalists, “I don’t know if anything was said, but Modric deserves to be respected at all times.”

Modric, meanwhile, attempted to minimize the altercation by portraying it as a commonplace incident on the field. In football, such things do occur. “You see everything that might not be seen,” he said.