Vinicius Junior said a banner from Manchester City mocking him being beaten to the Ballon d’Or award by Rodri helped motivate him during Real Madrid’s Champions League victory on Tuesday night.
Ahead of the game, a banner in the home end read “Stop crying your heart out” — referencing a song by City fans Oasis — alongside an image of the Ballon d’Or trophy, an annual award handed to the best individual footballer in each calendar year.
The 24-year-old Madrid forward had been favourite to land the 2024 award but was edged into second place by City midfielder Rodri.
Vinicius Jr provided the assist for Jude Bellingham’s late winning goal for Carlo Ancelotti’s side in a 3-2 victory ahead of next week’s return leg in Madrid, and said the pre-match banner had fueled him for the game.
“I saw it, I saw the banner,” Vinicius told Spanish TV station Movistar after the game, as cited by Marca. “But whenever the opposing fans do things like this, it gives me more strength to play a great game and here I did that.
“They know our history and everything we do in this competition. It’s the fifth time we’ve come here (to the Etihad) and it’s always very cold, but this time we won and we have to continue along this path.”
Madrid travel to Osasuna in La Liga on Saturday before hosting City in the second leg of their play-off to reach the Champions League last-16 stage four days later. City host Newcastle United in the Premier League on February 15 ahead of their trip to Madrid.
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How Vinicius Junior was overlooked for the Ballon d’Or – and the anger it sparked at Real Madrid
(Top image: Carl Recine/Getty Images/Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
