Will Vinicius Junior leave Real Madrid? Fabrizio Romano makes claim about Brazilian's future
Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has reported that Vinicius Junior has no plans to leave Real Madrid in the near future.
Reports around Vinicius departing the Santiago Bernabeu arose after Los Blancos' 1-0 defeat at Valencia in La Liga on Sunday (May 21). The Brazilian winger was sent off in second-half stoppage time after an altercation with Los Che midfielder Hugo Duro.
Vinicius was notably subjected to racist abuse from the crowd at the Mestalla multiple times during the game. He tried to bring the referee's attention to one fan in particular in the second half, according to the BBC. The game was briefly paused due to the racist chants from fans at the stadium as well.
The incidents were sadly nothing new, as the forward has been targeted by racist chants on plenty of occasions this season. They hit their pinnacle prior to the club's Copa del Rey quarterfinal against Atletico Madrid. An effigy with Vinicius' name and jersey number was hung off a bridge close to Real Madrid's training ground.
Reports surfaced after the game that there were questions over the his future at Real Madrid as well. However, Romano has quashed those reports, tweeting:
“Understand Vinicius Junior is absolutely not considering to leave Real Madrid — despite recent reports. Feeling of those close to Vini is that he only wants to stay and beat racism in Spain. No other way.”
Romano added that Los Blancos and Vinicius have already agreed terms on a new contract:
“Also, new long term deal has already been signed months ago.”
#Real
Understand Vinicius Júnior is absolutely not considering to leave Real Madrid — despite recent reports. 🚨⚪️🇧🇷 #Real
Feeling of those close to Vini is that he only wants to stay and beat racism in Spain. No other way.
Also, new long term deal has already been signed months ago. https://t.co/KP7sK2eiuZ
Before his dismissal, the Brazilian struggled to impact play for Real Madrid against Valencia. He completed just 18 of his 28 passes, lost possession a whopping 25 times and missed a big chance.
However, Vinicius has been his side's most consistent player this season, racking up 23 goals and 21 assists in 54 games across competitions.
"Racism is normal in La Liga" - Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior slams league after Mestalla incident
As mentioned earlier, Sunday was another instance of Vinicius Junior being subject to racist chants this season. During the ongoing campaign, the Brazilian has brought up the issue multiple times, but the situation hasn't changed.
Following the events at the Mestalla, Vinicius has called out La Liga and Spain for racism. He tweeted after his team's loss to Valencia (as translated by The Guardian):
“It was not the first time, nor the second, nor the third. Racism is normal in La Liga. The competition considers it normal; the federation considers it normal and the rivals encourage it. The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo (Nazario), Cristiano (Ronaldo) and (Lionel) Messi today belongs to the racists.”
The Real Madrid winger added:
“A beautiful nation, which welcomed me and which I love, but which accepted to export to the world the image of a racist country. I am sorry for those Spaniards who disagree, but today, in Brazil, Spain is known as a country of racists. I am strong, and I will go all the way against the racists, even if it is far away from here.”
Não foi a primeira vez, nem a segunda e nem a terceira. O racismo é o normal na La Liga. A competição acha normal, a Federação também e os adversários incentivam. Lamento muito. O campeonato que já foi de Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano e Messi hoje é dos racistas. Uma nação… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Vinicius received support from Los Blancos boss Carlo Ancelotti, who slammed Valencia fans. Present and former players like Neymar Jr., Kylian Mbappe, Rio Ferdinand and Ronaldo Nazario have extended their support to the Brazilian too.