Vinicius Junior has revealed that a Manchester City fan banner mocking him before Real Madrid’s Champions League clash at the Etihad Stadium fueled his performance in their thrilling 3-2 victory.
The banner, featuring City midfielder Rodri with his 2024 Ballon d’Or trophy and the words “Stop Crying Your Heart Out,” referenced Vinicius’ second-place finish and Real Madrid’s boycott of the ceremony. However, the Brazilian responded with a stellar display as Madrid twice came from behind to win.
“I saw it; I saw the banner. Whenever opposing fans do things like that, they give me more strength to have a great game, and here I have done it,” Vinicius told Movistar.
City led twice through Erling Haaland, but goals from Kylian Mbappe, Brahim Diaz, and Jude Bellingham’s stoppage-time strike secured victory for Real, putting them in pole position ahead of next week’s return leg at the Bernabeu.
City manager Pep Guardiola admitted his side’s struggles to hold onto leads have been a recurring problem this season. “Many games we have given away at the end… At the moment, I’m not able to give the composure to the team to manage this kind of situation,” he said.
Despite the setback, Guardiola insisted City are not out of the tie. “We’ll try. You have to continue. With fresh minds and fresh legs, we’ll go for them.”
