Real Madrid players and supporters paid special tribute to Vinicius Junior before La Liga clash with Rayo Vallecano.
Vinicius Junior’s teammates and fans displayed their support for the Brazilian winger following the latest horrible outbreak of racist abuse he suffered at Valencia Mestalla during the weekend.
Vinicius was withdrawn from the game but all of his teammates wore his number 20 shirt to come onto the pitch before their match against Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday, 24th of May.
Los Blancos supporters also spread a banner for the 22-year-old Brazilian, reading: “We are all Vini, enough is enough,” about the repeated behavior of the racism against him this season.
However, In the 20th minute of the match, Real Madrid fans were upstanding for Vinicius as they honored him with clapping.
The 22-year-old also demonstrated his appreciation by standing up to give a thumbs-up to the Real Madrid fans around the Santiago Bernabeu and later sat down next to the club president Florentino Perez.
The two teams united behind a banner that read, “Get out of football,” presumably directed toward racists. Even Real Madrid’s basketball squad showed similar team spirit before their game.
A red card given to Vinicius Jr. when he participated in a clash on the field in response to racial chanting against Valencia was later overturned.
However, the Brazilian international was left out of Madrid’s lineup against Vallecano due to left knee pain, and he is also questionable for Saturday’s La Liga match against Sevilla.
Vinicius Jr.’s fellow Brazilian, Rodrygo, scored the game-winning goal for Madrid in the 2-1 victory, and he lifted his right hand in a show of solidarity.
What happened to Vinicius Junior?
The latest incident involving the Brazilian star occurred on Sunday, 21st of May, during Real Madrid’s 1-0 loss at Valencia.
The game was briefly stopped because the attacker claimed he was abused by a spectator behind one of the goals at Mestalla Stadium.
Since arriving in Spain five years ago, the 22-year-old Real Madrid forward has been the target of racist harassment and assault.
Over the past two seasons, Vinicius has been the target of nine formal complaints from the league regarding racist attacks.
Quite a few of the cases have been put on hold, so that a Valencia fan could face trial after being accused of racially abusing the Brazilian during the game.
On the other hand, The abuse at Valencia’s Mestalla Stadium on Sunday prompted outrage from the football community, with players, coaches, and analysts all criticizing the way such instances have been handled in Spain.
What Vinicius said after suffering racial abuse from Valencia fans.
After the match, the Brazilian took to his Twitter page and said; “It wasn’t the first time or the second or the third. Racism is normal in La Liga, the competition thinks it’s normal, as does the federation, and the opponents encourage it”.
“The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi today belongs to the racists”.
“A beautiful nation which welcomed me and which I love but which accepted to export to the world the image of a racist country. I am sorry for those Spaniards who disagree, but today, in Brazil, Spain is known as a country of racists”.
He added; “I am strong and I will go all the way against the racists, even if it is far away from here”.
What’s next for Vinicius Junior?
The Brazilian will be hoping to be in action for Real Madrid on Saturday, 27th of May, when they face Sevilla in the Spanish La Liga.
