Still only 22, Vinicius Junior has been one of the best wide attackers in the game for a while the scorer of the only goal as Real Madrid beat Liverpool in the Champions League final last season.
But his electric pace and other football qualities have taken a back seat at the moment to a series of racist abuse the young Brazil international has been suffering throughout the season. On Sunday, as his team lost 1-0 away to Valencia, he reacted in anger at being insulted again, and instead of some kind of protection, he received a 97th-minute red card.
La Liga president Javier Tebas has disputed Vini s claims about racism being a serious issue at venues across the Spanish top flight, so the young winger made a compilation of some of the things being chanted at him on a regular basis. Reports have also emerged, saying he s been forced to consider leaving the club and Spain for the first time since his arrival from Brazil in 2018.
Tebas may keep turning a blind eye or living in denial, but the problem is very real and should be dealt with in some way. Ignoring it simply won t do.
A cada rodada fora de casa uma surpresa desagradável. E foram muitas nessa temporada. Desejos de morte, boneco enforcado, muitos gritos criminosos Tudo registrado.
Mas o discurso sempre cai em “casos isolados”, “um torcedor”. Não, não são casos isolados. São episódios…
— Vini Jr. (@vinijr)
