Real Madrid News
Vinicius Jr has zero intentions of leaving Real Madrid amidst constant racist attacks
While Vinicius Jr might be enjoying another solid season, the Real Madrid superstar has had to deal with a lot of issues both on the pitch and off it.
Firstly, the 22-year-old has been targeted by opposition defenders constantly, with the winger being the most fouled player in La Liga midway through the season.
At the same time, some opponent fanbases have been bombarding the Real Madrid forward with racist abuse. It happened during the first Madrid derby of the season at the Civitas Metropolitano as well as the away game against Real Valladolid.
While La Liga issued statements condemning the acts, no major action has been taken yet to stop these incidents.
Things hit a new low on Thursday night as some Atletico Madrid fans hung an effigy of Vinicius off a bridge with the banner “Madrid hates Real”, ahead of the Copa del Rey quarter-final tie at the Bernabeu.
A young footballer can get affected by this kind of repulsive and hateful behaviour, but Vinicius Jr is not one to run away from a fight.
Indeed, according to journalist Bruno Andrade, the Real Madrid attacker has no intention to leave the club amidst this wave of constant racist attacks targeted towards him by opposition supporters.
A source close to the player told Andrade: “There is ZERO chance to leave. These acts, in fact, motivate Viní even more to be successful. Racists will have to get used to it.”
Signed from Flamengo in 2018, Vinicius Jr has grown leaps and bounds during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu and is regarded as one of the best young forwards in the game.
The 22-year-old played a huge role in Real Madrid’s successful 2021/22 campaign and had been in top form this term as well, although there has been a dip since the World Cup break.
But, he showed his true quality last night as he put in a top-notch display against Atletico Madrid, despite all the negativity in the lead-up to the game, capping off with a stunning solo goal.
Following the incident on Thursday, reports suggested that Vinicius’ entourage was furious with Atletico fans as well as La Liga president Javier Tebas for his inaction.
The concerned authorities must act swiftly to punish those involved and make a statement against racist and hateful behaviour.
Marco Asensio is fighting for his future at Real Madrid. The 27-year-old winger is out of contract at the end of the season and there is no concrete decision made by the club over his renewal as of yet.
Some reports had suggested that the club had tabled an offer worth €4 million per year, which the Spaniard did not like as he sought a higher pay packet closer to around €6 million-a-year.
With his future a subject of intense speculation, Asensio had been linked with a move away to Premier League clubs such as Arsenal and Liverpool.
Meanwhile, closer to home, there were strong links to Real Madrid’s arch-rivals Barcelona. Indeed, the Catalans have been touted as potential suitors for Asensio for quite some time now due to the fact that he is represented by Jorge Mendes.
The superagent has close ties with Barcelona president Joan Laporta and reports in Spain have suggested that the Real Madrid winger has, indeed, been offered to the current La Liga leaders.
Amidst these speculations, however, Asensio has seemingly made it clear as to where his heart lies as he awaits a decision on his future.
During last night’s El Clasico against Barcelona, the Real Madrid winger came on as a substitute and went on to score a goal, following which he celebrated at Camp Nou, pointing to the Real Madrid logo on his shirt, showing where his allegiances lie.
The goal, however, was disallowed by the VAR, and Los Blancos ended up losing the game 2-1 thanks to a stoppage-time winner by Franck Kessie.
Earlier today, Asensio took to Instagram and posted a picture of him celebrating with his finger pointing to the Real Madrid logo, reiterating his commitment to the club amidst the links to Barcelona.
As for his disallowed goal, it sparked an angry reaction from Carlo Ancelotti, who questioned the legitimacy of the decision made by the VAR during his post-match press conference.
