In a powerful display of solidarity, Rodrygo Goes dedicated his dramatic last-minute winning goal against Rayo Vallecano to his teammate Vinicius Junior, who has been subjected to racial abuse and discrimination throughout the season.
Vinicius recently endured another distressing incident at Valencia’s Mestalla Stadium, prompting an overwhelming wave of support from the global football community.
The call for more stringent measures to combat racism in the sport, especially in Spain, has grown louder.
Demonstrating their unity, Real Madrid players took to the field at the Bernabeu wearing No. 20 jerseys, representing Vinicius’ squad number.
The match against Rayo Vallecano ended with a 2-1 victory for Madrid, amplifying the message of solidarity and the collective stance against racism.
In the said encounter, Rodrygo, who scored the late winner for Los Blancos, dedicated his goal to his compatriot.
“It was a goal for my brother, for Vini. We’re always together, we have experienced many things, and we have already won everything with this club. I’m always by his side till the end, he already knows that, and we will continue fighting against racism,” he said, as quoted by Madrid Zone.
Despite being cleared to play the Vallecano game after La Liga reversed his red card against Valencia, Vinicius was omitted from Carlo Ancelotti’s squad for the mid-week clash.
Tebas apologises to Vinicius
Earlier, Sports Brief reported that La Liga president, Javier Tebas has realised he was wrong for criticising Vinicius Junior, after the Real Madrid forward voiced his frustrations in a tweet after being racially abused.
The La Liga chief faced heavy backlash from the football community after he appeared to slam Vini for ‘failing to inform himself properly’. This was after the forward posted a message outlining the abuse he regularly receives at stadiums across Spain.
Tebas has now tendered an apology to Vinicius, as he revealed he had no intentions of attacking the Brazilian forward.
