When Real Madrid won the Champions League on Tuesday night, Vinicius Junior said that a banner from Manchester City that made fun of him for losing to Rodri for the Ballon d’Or award inspired him. In reference to a song by City supporters Oasis, a banner in the home end before the game said, “Stop crying your heart out.” It also featured an image of the Ballon d’Or trophy, which is given to the best individual football player of each year.
Although the 24-year-old Madrid forward was the clear favorite to win the 2024 prize, City midfielder Rodri defeated him to take second place. Ahead of the return leg in Madrid next week, Vinicius Jr. assisted Jude Bellingham’s late goal to give Carlo Ancelotti’s team a 3-2 victory. He claimed that the pre-game banner had motivated him for the match.
According to Marca, Vinicius said to Spanish TV station Movistar during the game, “I saw it; I saw the banner.” They are aware of our past and everything we have done in this competition, so when the opposing fans do things like this, it gives me more strength to play a fantastic game, which is exactly what I accomplished tonight. We’ve come to the Etihad five times, and each time it’s really chilly, but we prevailed this time, so we must keep going in this direction.
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During his press conference after the game, coach Carlo Ancelotti stated, “I don’t know if Vini saw it.” “But having seen the game, if he saw it, it was a big motivation for him.” While admitting that VinÃcius is “an extraordinary player,” City coach Pep Guardiola claimed not to have seen the banner personally.
The second leg of the match will take place at the Bernabéu next week, and Ancelotti stated that his team had a “slight advantage” in the match following the 3-2 victory. “This is the way,” Ancelotti declared. It has been a topic of discussion for a while. Notwithstanding all of our challenges, we have a really strong outcome as the season officially begins.
Real Madrid is the overwhelming favorite to defeat Pep Guardiola’s team and advance to the round of 16 after taking a one-goal lead into the second leg next week. Vinicius’ chances of winning the Ballon d’Or in 2025 would increase with another strong run in this competition, but Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe, teammates, are also vying for the honor.
