Xtra Time Web Desk: Brazil winger Vinicius Junior said his desire to play football was reducing as incidents of racial abuse aimed at him piled up in Spain, during a tearful media appearance on Monday.
The Real Madrid forward has suffered abuse from opposition fans on many occasions in recent years, with one incident in Valencia in May provoking worldwide outrage.
Spain will face Vinicius’ Brazil at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday under the slogan “One Skin” to help combat racism.
“I’ve been seeing this (racism) for a long time, and every time I feel sadder, and every time I have less desire to play,” Vinicius told a news conference.
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Vinicius faced the press on Monday ahead of a blockbuster friendly clash between his home nation and the country he has lived in since 2018. Spain has, however, also been the setting of countless incidents of racist abuse aimed in his direction, prompting some reporters to question him on the subject. The 23-year-old was unable to hide his emotion and broke down in tears, calling for the end of “suffering for black people” before being met with applause.
WHAT VINICIUS SAID
In between tears during the press conference at Valdebebas, Madrid’s training ground, the Brazilian said: “I just want to play football but it’s hard to move forward … I feel less and less like playing. It never crossed my mind [to leave Spain] because if I leave Spain I give the racists exactly what they want.
“I will stay because that way the racists can continue to see my face more and more. I’m a bold player, I play for Real Madrid and we win a lot of titles and that doesn’t sit well with a lot of people.”
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Vinicius has time and again proved himself to be one of the strongest players in world football, batting off countless racist attacks from rival fans. This includes matches he isn’t even playing in, as seen during Atletico’s clash with Inter in the Champions League earlier this month. Racism towards Vinicius has even come from leading figures within Spanish football and the media. Clearly, at 23 years of age and with enough weight on his shoulders playing for two of football’s most storied sides in Brazil and Real, such vile abuse has taken its toll on Vinicius.