Vinícius Júnior stayed washed in tears when talking about racism. In anticipation of the duel between Brazil and Spain, the international from Canary Islands appeared to be upset with the successive episodes he has witnessed since leaving Flamengo to go to Real Madrid in 2018/19, and even underlined that he has “less and less desire to to play”. “It’s something very sad and it happens here every game and every day. Every report I make makes me very sad, as it does for all black people in the world… It’s something very sad and it’s not just in Spain that it’s happening, it’s also in the world. It also happened to my father, they chose a white person rather than a black one. It’s something that I notice and that I fight because they chose me. I fight so that in the near future this doesn’t happen to anyone again . I understand people talking about what I do on the field. Of course I have a lot to improve, I’m still only 23 years old and it’s a natural progression. I left Brazil very young and learned so many things… I’ve seen this for a long time and I feel sadder and sadder, I have less and less desire to play”, said the Real Madrid star, adding.
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“What irritates me most is the lack of punishment. If we start punishing all the people who commit this crime, we will start to evolve. I make so many complaints, letters often arrive to make more complaints, but in the end it happens like what happened with my friend in Barcelona, they close the case and nobody knows anything. If we start punishing these people… they won’t change their minds, but they will be afraid to speak out. There are children who make fun of me and I don’t blame them, because they don’t understand. When I was their age, I didn’t understand racism either.”
Vinícius also mentioned that he is not always able to concentrate on the field and spoke about the subject again in an emotional way. “In football there are many people, so many better players than me who have already been here. I want to make sure that people in the world can evolve, improve, that we can have equality, that in the near future there will be fewer cases of racism, that black people can have a normal life, like others. I go to games with my head focused on the game to do my best, but it’s not always possible. I have to concentrate a lot every day…”
Despite the feeling of injustice and frustration, the 24-year-old Brazilian winger says he never thought about leaving Real Madrid and leaving Spain. “If I leave here, I’ll give the racists what they want. I’ll continue here fighting, playing for the best club in the world, winning titles, scoring goals. People will increasingly see my face. Racists are a minority. As I am a bold player, who plays for Real Madrid and we have won many titles, it is very complicated, but I will remain firm and strong because I have the support of the club and the president.”