Vinícius Júnior revealed that a banner displayed by Manchester City fans motivated him to deliver an outstanding performance in Real Madrid’s 3-2 comeback victory in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Before the match at the Etihad, City supporters unveiled a banner featuring midfielder Rodri holding the Ballon d’Or trophy, which he won ahead of Vinícius last year. The banner also included the phrase “Stop Crying Your Heart Out,” referencing a song by Oasis.
Vinícius responded in style, playing a key role in Madrid’s win. He was named UEFA’s Player of the Match after assisting Jude Bellingham’s dramatic 92nd-minute winner with a perfectly placed lob over City’s goalkeeper, Ederson.
“I saw [the banner],” Vinícius told Movistar. “But when opposition fans do things, it always gives me more strength to play a great game, and here I did that. … [City] know our history, and everything we’ve done in this competition.”
Madrid boycotted the Ballon d’Or ceremony in October last year, in protest of Vinícius missing out on the trophy.
“I don’t know if Vini saw it,” coach Carlo Ancelotti said in his postmatch news conference. “But having seen the game, if he saw it, it was a big motivation for him.”
Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola said he was unaware of the banner but admitted that Vinícius is “an extraordinary player.”
Meanwhile, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti believes his team has a “slight advantage” in the tie after their 3-2 victory, with the second leg set to take place next week at the Bernabéu.
“This is the way,” Ancelotti said. “We’ve been talking about it for a long time. The season really starts now, and despite all our difficulties, we’ve got a very good result.
“The four at the back [Raúl Asencio, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Federico Valverde and Ferland Mendy] had never played together or even trained together, and they had a spectacular game. … From this emergency, we got something good.”
Ancelotti said he expected two more senior defenders –– Antonio Rüdiger and David Alaba — to be available for the second leg.