Vinícius Jr: 8 heartbreaking times Real Madrid star suffered racist abuse in LaLiga

Real Madrid's electric Brazilian has been the subject of racial abuse more than any other player in LaLiga this season.

Real Madrid's Brazilian winger Vinicius Jr has labelled La Liga and Spain racist after following the latest attack of racial slurs launched from the stands in Los Blancos’ 1-0 defeat against Valencia at the Mestalla stadium on Sunday, May 20, 2023.

Ever since the conclusion of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and prior to the global showpiece, Vinicius has been the subject of racial abuse from fans in Spain.

LaLiga has filed not less than nine complaints against racism this season alone, a testament to the cankerworm that continues to rock the apex division of Spanish football.

However, it is pertinent to note that Spain is not the only country suffering from racism in its football stadiums.

Racism continues to be a lingering problem in Italian football as well, and authorities have been heavily criticised for not taking sufficient action. 

In April, Over 170 Juventus fans were hit with stadium bans for chanting racist abuse aimed at Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku during a Coppa Italia semi-final earlier that month.

That would not be the first time the Belgian striker had been the subject of racial abuse in the Italian Serie A, as more players have also been hit with discriminatory remarks prior to that incident. 

In July 2021, England forwards Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka were similarly abused after missing penalties in the Euro 2020 final.

In December 2022, France national team players, including star forward Kylian Mbappe, were racially abused online after they lost the World Cup final to Argentina.

However, these recent cases amongst others which have also been condemned publicly by the governing bodies in football continue to happen questioning many as to when it will finally end.

Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr has constantly spoken out against the horrific racial chants he has suffered from, especially in the 2022-23 LaLiga season which has already been won by Los Blancos’ arch-rivals, Barcelona.

The talented 22-year-old Brazil international has already established himself as arguably the most electrifying winger on the planet.

However, for all of his amazing exploits on the pitch, he continues to suffer racial abuse while plying his trade in LaLiga, leading many fans to encourage him to push for a move away from the Spanish capital ahead of the summer transfer window.

In this article, we will be reviewing 7 incidents where Vinicius Junior  was racially abused in Spanish football.

Vinícius Jr: 8 episodes that the Real Madrid star was racially abused in Spanish football

1. Vinícius Jr. was the subject of racist chants ahead of Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid - September 18, 2022

During the first Madrid derby of the 2022-23 LaLiga season, Vinicus suffered racial abuse from a host of Atleti fans even before kick-off.

Reports stated that Atleti fans were seen singing ‘Vinicius, you are a monkey’ outside of the Civitas Metropolitano ahead of the match. 

An incident that reportedly went largely unpunished.

Prior to that fixture, Atletico Madrid midfielder and team captain Koke Resurreccion was asked about Vinicius’ dance moves while celebrating a goal and suggested at the possibility of Atleti fans reacting poorly if he were to dance at the Metropolitano.

“At the end of the day if he scores a goal and decides to dance it’s his call. To each his own and everyone celebrates the way he likes,” said Koke.

However, when Koke was asked about whether or not he would understand the fans at the Wanda if they were to react poorly to Vinicius’ celebrations.

“There would be trouble for sure, it’s normal,” the Spanish midfielder added.

Real Madrid went on to defeat their local rivals 2-1 at the Wanda Metropolitano with Rodrygo and Federico Valverede giving Los Blancos a 2-0 lead at the break before Mario Hermosoo pulled one goal back in the 83rd minute for the hosts.

According to Reuters, local media also reported that monkey noises and chants of "Vinicius, die" were heard throughout the game.

2. Vinícius Jr racist chants in Real Valladolid vs Real Madrid match - December 30, 2022

As mentioned earlier, Vinicius experienced a lot of racial abuse following the conclusion of the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

In Madrid’s first match after the Qatar showpiece in December, Vinicius Jr was racially abused by Real Valladolid fans, as Los Blancos recorded a 2-0 win at the Estadio Jose Zorrilla.

A six-minute brace from Karim Benzema in the final 10 minutes of the second half was enough to give Madrid all three points.

However, Vinicius who was taken off in the 88th minute for Luka Modric was on the receiving end of racist chants from Valladolid fans.

According to Marca, the Anti-Violence Committee, charged with investigating and resolving these matters, identified ten of the fans from the stands and were working with Valladolid and the police to identify more.

Those fans received a year-long ban from sporting grounds, as well as a €4,000 fine for each of them.

3. Atletico Madrid fans hung a Vinícius Jr mannequin from road bridge ahead of their Copa del Rey match against Real Madrid

Vinicius was the object of the Atleti fans’ hatred once more.

 Ahead of their Copa del Rey quarter-final at the Santiago Bernabeu on January 26, Atleti fans hung a banner from an overpass with the slogan ‘Madrid hates Real’.

 Hanging below that banner was a mannequin, wearing a Vinicius Junior shirt.

Diario AS reported that the ‘Frente Atletico’ group were likely behind the incident. 

With ties to the far right and a history of violence, the group remain highly active. 

Posters from Frente Atletico have also been hung around Madrid with the same slogan.

However, it remains unclear whether any action was taken, as the video already went viral on social media.

4. Vinícius Jr suffered racial abuse in RCD Mallorca’s shock win against Real Madrid, February 5, 2023

Real Madrid suffered a shock 1-0 loss against Mallorca in LaLiga - February 5, 2023.

A 13th-minute own goal from Nacho Fernandez was enough to give the hosts all three points a the Estadi de Son Moix.

During the match, Mallorca fans were filmed racially abusing Real Madrid's Brazilian forward Vinicius Jr. during the game.

Reuters reported that supporters could be heard calling the 22-year-old Brazilian player ‘a monkey’ in a video published by streaming company DAZN on social media.

The reports adds that Mallorca did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

But in a radio interview club manager Javier Aguirre denied that his players had targeted Vinicius in the ill-tempered match, in which the Brazilian winger suffered 10 fouls, the most endured by any player in LaLiga this season.

5. Vinícius Jr. was reportedly racially abused in Real Betis vs Real Madrid - March 5, 2023

After Real Madrid's 0-0 draw with Real Betis in LaLiga this season, footage captured a Betico supporter shouting racial insults at Vinicius Junior, leading La Liga to take legal action again.

Following that incident, LaLiga claimed it had filed a complaint for the seventh time over racial abuse suffered by Vinicius Junior.

A statement from the league via Sportmob read:

 "In view of the racist insults directed towards Vinicius Junior during the Real Betis-Real Madrid match on Sunday, March 5, LaLiga has sent a complaint to the Seville Court of Instruction in order to identify the person responsible and to take the appropriate legal measures.

"This is the seventh complaint made to the relevant authorities by LaLiga regarding racist insults against Vinicius Junior."

6. LaLiga filed a complaint to Barcelona court after racist abuse of Vinícius Jr. in El Clásico 

Vinícius continued to suffer racial abuse this season including against Madrid’s eternal rivals FC Barcelona.

Real Madrid suffered a 2-1 defeat against Barcelona on March 19, 2023, in LaLiga.

However, as per CNN, La Liga reportedly filed a complaint to a Barcelona court following the game  after reports emerged that Vinicius was yet again the subject of racial abuse.

“In view of the events that took place at the FC Barcelona-Real Madrid match, in which intolerable racist behaviour was once again observed against Vinicius Jr, LaLiga has reported the racist insults to the Barcelona Court of Instruction,” LaLiga said in a statement on Thursday, March 23, 2023..

LaLiga has also set up a complaints channel on its website to allow fans to submit information that might help identify the perpetrators.

 CNN also added in the report that FC Barcelona did not immediately respond to their request for comment.

When asked to explain how it failed to identify the fans who racially abused Vinícius at FC Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium on October 24, 2021, the Barcelona prosecutor said they are not able to reveal details as the investigation is private.

“What is clear is that they analyzed all the evidence they had and did not identify, in this case, any perpetrator,” they told CNN in a statement.

7. Spanish agent Pedro Bravo likens Vinicius Jr to 'a monkey' on Live TV

Pedro Bravo, the president of the Spanish agents’ association, was asked about Vinicius’ celebrations on Spanish television on Thursday, and said Vinicius ‘has to respect (his) mates and stop playing the monkey’.

The comments sparked a backlash against Bravo and a flood of support for Vinicius from Brazilian football greats like Pele and Neymar.

Reacting to Bravo’s racial remarks, Vinicius fired back via a post on Instagram that read:

 “They say happiness is annoying. The happiness of a victorious black Brazilian in Europe bothers much more,” Vinicius wrote on Instagram.

“But my desire to win, my smile and the twinkle in my eyes are much bigger than that. You can't even imagine.

“I was a victim of xenophobia and racism in one statement. But none of that started yesterday. Weeks ago, they started criminalising my dancing.

“Dances that are not mine. They belong to Ronaldinho, Neymar, (Lucas) Paqueta, (Antoine) Griezmann, João Felix, Matheus Cunha... Brazilian funk and samba artists, reggaeton singers, and black Americans.

“They are dances to celebrate the cultural diversity of the world. Accept it, respect it. I’m not going to stop.”

“I always try to be a professional and an exemplary citizen. But that doesn’t click, doesn’t trend on the internet, or motivates cowards to aggressively talk about people they don’t even know,” Vinicius added.

“The script always ends with an apology and ‘I was misunderstood.’ But I repeat it to you racist: I will not stop dancing.”

However, Bravo has since apologised for his offensive remarks, saying he used the expression ‘metaphorically’ as a way of expressing that Vinicius was ‘doing stupid things’.

Amid Bravo’s racial comments which had already gone viral, the hashtag #BailaViniJr (#DanceViniJr, in English) became a World Trending Topic for several hours on social media and the signs of support for the player came pouring in.  

Pele, widely regarded as the greatest Brazilian footballer of all time, posted on Twitter: “Football is joy. It is dancing. It is truly a party.”

“Despite the fact that racism still exists, we will not allow it to stop us from continuing to smile. And we will continue to fight racism in this way, fighting for the right to be happy.”

PSG and Brazil star Neymar also took to Instagram to tell Vinicius to ‘dribble, dance and be you', while Newcastle’s Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimaraes said of Bravo:

 “This moron needs to leave this place arrested! No excuses. If a guy says this on live TV, just imagine what he says when he’s not. Inconceivable if this guy is not jailed.”

8. Vinicius Jr suffers racial abuse from Valencia fans before getting sent off - May 21, 2023

Vinicius Jr said "La Liga belongs to racists" after he was again racially abused by opposition fans during a match over the weekend.

The 22-year-old Brazil international was sent off for violent conduct in the 97th minute in Real Madrid’s 1-0 La Liga defeat against Valencia at the Mestalla Stadium after an altercation with Hugo Duro.

Earlier in the game, Vinicius visibly attempted to bring Valencia fans to the referee's attention.

BBC Sport reported that two fans who racially abused Vinicius have been identified and are expected to be given permanent stadium bans by Valencia.

Following the game, Vinicius took to social media to hit out against the racial abuse he suffered on Sunday afternoon.

 Vinicius wrote on his official Instagram page: 

"The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano and Messi today belongs to racists,"

"It wasn't the first time, nor the second, nor the third. Racism is normal in La Liga. The competition thinks it's normal, the federation does too and the opponents encourage it.

"A beautiful nation, which welcomed me and which I love, but which agreed to export the image of a racist country to the world. I'm sorry for the Spaniards who don't agree, but today, in Brazil, Spain is known as a country of racists.

"And unfortunately, for everything that happens each week, I have no defence. I agree. But I am strong and I will go to the end against racists. Even if far from here."

In response, La Liga said in a statement it would investigate and take "appropriate legal action" if a hate crime was identified, calling on people to submit any relevant footage.

LaLiga president Javier Tebas took to Twitter to state that Vinicius twice did not turn up for a meeting to discuss what it "can do in cases of racism".

"Before you criticise and slander La Liga you need to inform yourself properly," Tebas said.

Vinicius in turn criticised the post for targeting him instead of the "racists", saying he wanted La Liga to take "actions and punishments".

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti also rallied support for the Brazilian winger while condemning the racist abuse suffered by the player.

Ancelotti said Vinicius' reaction was "understandable" in the circumstances.

"I asked him if he wanted to keep playing, and he stayed in the game," Ancelotti said.

"Vinicius is very sad; he is angry. Something like this can't happen in the world we live in."

Real Madrid issued a statement on Monday stating its "strongest revulsion" at the racist abuse suffered by Vinicius.

It added: 

"Real Madrid considers that such attacks also constitute a hate crime, for which reason it has filed the corresponding complaint with the State Attorney General's Office, specifically with the Prosecutor's Office against hate crimes and discrimination, so that the facts can be investigated and clear responsibilities."

LaLiga said it had been proactive after previous racist abuse against Vinicius and had filed nine reports in the past two seasons to legal authorities in Spain.

Valencia said they would investigate and "take the most severe measures".

A club statement read: "Valencia CF wishes to publicly condemn any type of insult, attack or disqualification in football.

"Although this is an isolated episode, insults to any player from the rival team have no place in football and do not fit in with the values and identity of Valencia CF."

Fifa president Gianni Infantino also pledged "full solidarity" with Vinicius and highlighted the world governing body's protocols for events like those at Valencia.

"Firstly, you stop the match, you announce it. Secondly, the players leave the pitch and the speaker announces that if the attacks continue, the match will be suspended," he said.

"The match restarts, and then, thirdly, if the attacks continue, the match will stop and the three points will go to the opponent. These are the rules that should be implemented in all countries and in all leagues.

"Clearly, this is easier said than done, but we need to do it and we need to support it through education."

The racist attacks against Real Madrid’s Vinicius also continue to be condemned by sports athletes and celebrities around the world who have shown support for the Brazilian winger, including: Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling and Reece James, AC Milan’s Rafael Leao, PSG’s Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, Atletico Madrid’s Memphis Depay, Formula 1 icon Lewis Hamilton, NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Man City’s Kyle Walker, Man United’s Jadon Sancho and Casemiro, amongst other athletes.

VIDEO: WATCH CROSSFIRE || Victor Osimhen Vs Erling Haaland? Who are you signing for your team and why?

Related content