Schalke defender reveals how he frustrated Vinícius Júnior in Real Madrid clash
| Photo by Christof Koepsel/Getty Images |
FC Schalke 04 fell to a 3-0 defeat in a pre-season friendly against European heavyweights Real Madrid on Sunday.
Despite the loss, the Royal Blues put up a good fight and managed to keep Brazilian superstar Vinícius Júnior off the scoresheet.
This was in no small part thanks to Timo Becker’s physical style of defending, which made life difficult for the Brazilian attacker.
“He’s not used to people refusing to give up,” Becker told WAZ with a smile after the game as he reflected on his battle with Vinícius Júnior.
The 29-year-old felt he put in a performance that embodied Schalke’s trademark hard-working mentality.
“I followed him around the whole time because that’s our motto. That’s how I managed to get hold of him once or twice.
“He realised that I was on his toes every time and that he didn’t have an easy time against me. That’s good enough for me.
“I gave everything. For me, it was definitely an incredible amount of fun. I don’t know what it was like for him, but I don’t really care about that either,” Becker added.
