Spain and Brazil drew 3-3 in an eventful friendly at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday. The game left many things to talk about, including a heated moment between Vinicius Junior and Aymeric Laporte.
In a video that went viral on the Internet, the Brazilian was seen pushing the Spanish international from behind as he complained about a previous situation. Laporte reacted to the video, with an ironic jab at the winger.
“Maybe he wanted to dance..?,” the Al-Nassr center-back wrote. The message was clearly ironic and it echoes the sentiment of those who feel the Real Madrid star provokes his opponents and then plays the victim.
Vinicius was often criticized in Spain for his dance celebrations, which were taken by many as a way of provoking his rivals. The Flamengo product, however, explained more than once it just has to do with his culture.
The 23-year-old was also involved in a confusing altercation on the sidelines at the end of the game following Lucas Paqueta’s late equalizer, but it didn’t escalate that much. In the end, he was seen laughing with other Spain players, swapping shirts with another player.
Vinicius in tears when talking about racism
A victim of constant racist insults in the last few years, Vinicius has been vocal about this issue, raising the voice to try and tackle discrimination in the sport. Before the friendly in Madrid, he broke down in tears as he addressed the topic in a press conference.
“I just want to play football, but it’s hard to move forward … I feel less and less like playing,” Vinicius said, via Reuters. “It never crossed my mind (to leave Spain) because, if I leave Spain, I give the racists exactly what they want.”
The Brazilian international is under contract with Real Madrid until 2027 with a reported release clause of 1 billion euros. Hopefully, he can continue to enjoy the game without having to tolerate racism.