"I even texted that guy" - Richarlison claims he sent angry text to agent who racially abused Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr
Pedro Bravo, president of the Spanish Agents association, has been in the news recently following his racist comments about Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior.
The young forward has made the recent headlines for his dance celebration, which Bravo called 'playing the monkey' during a television program. This has seen Brazilian players and legends, including Pele and Neymar, slam the agent for his words, and Richarlison has followed suit.
The Tottenham forward revealed to ESPN after the Leicester City match that he had sent an expletive message to Pedro Bravo, stating (via Daily Mail):
"Boring situation, right? I even texted that guy over there who talked bullshit to him on the show. But that he can have fun like he's been doing and I'll hope he scores a goal. I called him a s***... but that he can solve this as soon as possible and don't miss it."
MX24 NEWS: Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr hits back at ‘racist’ celebration critic: Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior says “the happiness of a black Brazilian in Europe” is behind criticism of his goal celebrations. Agent Pedro Bravo said during a… dlvr.it/SYVbWx https://t.co/uyAckCzQUo
While Richarlison and Vinicius Junior may have had a feud during a training session with the Brazil squad earlier this year, the Tottenham forward has chosen to show support to his international teammate in this instance. The duo had a heated exchange while in Brazil camp, which saw other players rush in to separate them.
Pedro Bravo reacted poorly to the Real Madrid star's celebration after scoring against Mallorca
The situation with Pedro Bravo began with Vinicius Junior scoring Real Madrid's second goal against Mallorca, during the Spanish giants' 4-1 win in La Liga. The Brazil international was on hand to finish a left-footed effort after a brilliant assist from Rodrygo. Vinicius Jr. ran to the corner flag to perform his dance celebration.
However, this celebration drew criticism from Pedro Bravo, who said on El Chiringuito TV (via Madrid Zone):
“Vinicius will have to respect the opponents. If you want to dance, go to the sambadrome in Brazil. In Spain, you have to respect rivals & stop playing the monkey.”
The racist comment from the Spanish Agents association president received a lot of backlash, with other players backing Vinicius' right to dance during his celebrations. Legendary footballer Pele called football "a dance" and "a real party", while Neymar told Vinicius to "dribble, dance and be yourself."
Pele & Neymar have defended Vinicius Junior after comments from Pedro Bravo, the head of the Spanish Football Agents' Association.
#beINLiga #BailaViniJr
The Real Madrid forward also spoke about the issue, sharing a video of his reaction on his social media (via Daily Mail):
"The happiness of a victorious black Brazilian in Europe bothers much more. But my desire to win, my smile and the sparkle in my eyes are much bigger than that."