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Arsenal legend Thierry Henry sings Vinicius's praises ahead of Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.
Ex-France international Thierry Henry was full of praise for Real Madrid’s Vinicius Hunior, lauding the Brazilian's unwavering stance in the face of racism and how he has developed himself as a person and a footballer.
Vinicius, 23, is one of the best footballers in the world and is currently the frontrunner for the Ballon d’Or. However, it has not always been smooth sailing for him, as the Brazil international struggled in his first few years at the club and has been a constant target of racist abuse in the last few.
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The Real Madrid no. 7 has mostly risen above it all with his current level and relentless fight against racism, all of which has earned him immense praise from former Arsenal forward Henry.
What Henry said
"Right now, the guy that I saw before and what he's become, well done, well done, because it's not easy," Henry told ESPN Brasil when asked about Vini Jr. "The racism part, getting kicked, getting booed, getting red carded when you are mistreated and still overcoming it and performing well, as we say in French, 'chapeau bas' [hats off]."
Henry was asked if he was surprised that racism was still prevalent, and he replied: "No, unfortunately, because I've heard it before and still do. Unfortunately, I will continue to listen until people act on this.
"So you have to work on yourself, like he [Vinícius] did, and try to see how you can get out of this situation. Mentally too, not just in performance on the field, but mentally. At one point, it looked like the guy was being booed for being mistreated."
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He continued by encouraging Vinicius to continue being expansive and full of life: "Yes, dance, dance however you want," Henry said. "Dance, have fun, love and make us dream. That's what it's all about when I see a player like that. And now he's playing, behaving and performing. You have to give him a lot of credit."
"Arriving in Madrid, we all remember the images of... they [some Real Madrid teammates] didn't want to give him the ball.
"You arrive in Madrid, join a national team and Neymar is the boss. You have to deal with all of this. From that to being the man of the moment. He is the guy. He's the guy in Madrid. He's the guy who's making a difference. For me, this is his team.
"From scoring the winning goal against Liverpool in [the 2022 Champions League final] in Paris to now, it hasn't been an easy journey for him, and I know it's not an easy journey for anyone. And while we're on the subject, I'm just stating the facts he had to deal with. And all the time people and teams do tactics to make sure he doesn't perform."
Vinicius and Real Madrid will be in action against Borussia Dortmund later this evening for a chance to lift another UEFA Champions League title.
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