Champions League: Anfield crowd cannot intimidate Vinicius Junior
‘Vinicius die’ chants were heard during Saturday’s game at Osasuna
First he was a figure of fun, but then Vinicius Junior became the best player in La Liga and the abuse turned nasty.
He arrives in England on Monday as the greatest single threat to Liverpool’s Champions League progress, but he’ll be glad to be away from Spanish grounds.
‘Vinicius die’ chants were heard during Saturday’s game at Osasuna. Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said: ‘Someone even shouted abuse at him during the minute’s silence. We can’t just look at his behaviour all the time, there were parents giving the finger sign in front of their children.’
That comment about the player’s own conduct is a reference to the idea — especially abhorrent when the abuse is racist, as it often is — that Vinicius somehow provokes it.
Things have never been straightforward for the Brazilian since his £40million move from Flamengo in 2018. At first he became the butt of jokes because of his finishing.
‘He was criticised for missing chances that it was normal for a young player not to always take,’ says former Real and Brazil forward Julio Baptista. ‘But we have seen him develop into a very important player.’
In 2020, Karim Benzema uttered the famous, line ‘Don’t give it to him, it’s like he’s playing for the other side’ about Vinicius to team-mate Ferland Mendy in the tunnel at half-time against Borussia Monchengladbach. He is now in awe of a player who bagged 17 league goals last season, adding finishing to the skill and power that was always there.
The 22-year-old’s transformation has wound up those who enjoyed laughing at him. At the start of this season, some Atletico Madrid supporters chanted ‘Vinicius is a monkey’ as they entered the club’s stadium for a Madrid derby.
In the week leading up to the game, Real issued a statement condemning racist abuse aimed at their player after he had been criticised for dancing after scoring.
There had been comments on a late night Spanish football show from agent Pedro Bravo that if Vinicius wanted to dance a samba, he should return to Brazil. Bravo said: ‘He should be respectful instead of acting like a monkey.’
Vinicius has been exasperated by the lack of action taken over the abuse he has received. La Liga say it’s beyond their jurisdiction to close stadiums or dock points.
Things took an even nastier turn when a mannequin dressed in a Vinicius shirt was hung from a bridge before a Real v Atletico game. Police have since identified six suspects who could be charged under hate crime laws.
There have been moments when it seemed the lack of action taken would lead to Vinicius looking for a way out. So far, a desire not to let the abusers win and his bond with his boss Carlo Ancelotti have kept those aspirations at bay.
After he scored the goal that won last season’s Champions League final against Liverpool and three more at the recent Club World Cup, Madrid have no intention of letting Vinicius walk away. They need him. So do La Liga. He is now their main attraction, their greatest asset.
But, with great justification, he is not happy. As he tweeted on Saturday night: ‘The insults continue but the dance goes on. See you in Liverpool!’
