Vinicius Jr: Eight years at Real Madrid, 20 cases of alleged racist abuse

The hostility towards Vinicius is real – and it has names, dates and court sentences.

The latest incident at the Estadio da Luz is the 20th time he has allegedly been abused during his time with Real Madrid.

He was booed in stadiums across Spain. He testified in court after a black mannequin was hung from a bridge by his shirt.

He saw fans given suspended sentences for racist abuse in Valencia and Mallorca. That was largely due to La Liga’s efforts to ensure that those actions did not go unpunished within a judicial culture that has long treated soccer’s “industrial” language and “gossip” with leniency.

A chronology of some of the incidents suffered by him makes for depressing reading.

In October 2021 during a Clasico at the Camp Nou, a fan shouted racist abuse at him while he was being substituted. The case was closed because the police could not identify the perpetrator.

Then, in March 2022, Mallorca fans made monkey noises at him and told him to “go pick bananas”.

The authorities were “outraged” and said it was “despicable” but not “criminally significant”. No action was taken.

On Spanish football program El Chiringuito, Pedro Bravo, the head of the Spanish Football Agents Association, suggested Vinicius should “stop acting like a monkey” and respect his opponents.

He later apologized on X, claiming that he “badly used the expression … in a metaphorical way to mean ‘fool around'”.

The comment caused outrage, especially in Brazil. No further action was taken.

In September 2022, Atletico Madrid fans chanted racist abuse outside the stadium. Prosecutors have not filed charges.

Then things got even worse.

A doll with Vinicius’ jersey was found hanging from a bridge in January 2023. Four members of supporters’ group Frente Atletico were sentenced to prison terms of between 14 and 22 months, which were later commuted to fines and restraining orders.

Further incidents followed over the next few months, all resulting in little or no repercussions for the perpetrators.

If there was a turning point, it came in May 2023 in Valencia at the Mestalla when Vinicius faced the stands after being insulted.

Later, in added time, he was sent off after an argument with Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili and for punching Hugo Duro in the face.

In June 2024, three supporters were sentenced to eight months in prison and a two-year stadium ban for their part in the abuse. It was the first sentence of its kind in Spain.

When he returned to Mestalla in March 2024, he was greeted by a chorus of boos. His response? Two goals, celebrated with a raised fist.

Sometimes he doesn’t even have to be at the game to endure the racial taunts.

Eleven days after returning from Mestalla, racist abuse was chanted at him before a Champions League match between Atletico Madrid and Inter. Real Madrid reported the incident to the prosecutor’s office of hate crimes.

Then five days later, at Osasuna’s ground, cries of “Vinicius dies” were heard.

On 29 September 2024, four people were arrested for inciting a hate campaign on social media under anonymity to insult the player during the derby against Atletico Madrid.

Most recently, this February, during the Copa del Rey semi-final against Real Sociedad, referee Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez interrupted the match due to Spain’s anti-hate protocol.

It was due to chants against another player, but the cameras also caught a fan making monkey gestures at Vinicius during the break. The club broadcast announcements over the PA system and LED screens rejecting xenophobic chants.

Only last month, during Alvaro Arbeloa’s debut as Real manager against Albacete in the Copa del Rey, a group of their supporters hurled racist abuse at the Brazilian.

La Liga strongly condemned the incident and confirmed its support for the player.

And now the Lisbon incident.

Maybe you might be wondering why Vinicius keeps reacting and fighting? He gave an answer in June 2024 after the racists who abused him in Valencia were sentenced to prison.

“Many people asked me to ignore it, others said that my fight was in vain and that I should just ‘play football’,” Vinicius said in a post on X.

“But, as I have always said, I am not a victim of racism. I am an executioner of racists. This first criminal conviction in Spanish history is not for me. It is for all black people.”