Vinicius Jr moved to tears discussing racism in Spain

Brazil is playing Spain in a friendly in Madrid on Tuesday in a fixture that provides a homecoming for Brazilian sensation Vinicius Junior. However, that homecoming is not always a welcome one, as racism continues to plague Vinicius and soccer in general in Spain.

The Brazilian has been the frequent victim of racist chants from rival fans. Recent incidents include issues with Valencia supporters and claims against FC Barcelona. Real Madrid has filed hate crime reports against certain supporters. Also, LaLiga has asked for more power to punish those who hurl racism toward Vinicius.

Now, speaking ahead of Brazil’s game at the Santiago Bernabeu, Vinicius has had to speak on the racism in Spain. This friendly fixture is part of a “One Skin” game to combat racism in soccer. Before Tuesday’s game, Black players from Spain and Brazil took pictures with one another to show their togetherness. That included Vinicius, Rodrygo, Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal. Those players represent Real Madrid, Athletic Club and Barcelona.

Still, speaking about the rampant racism is not easy for Vinicius. The Brazilian said all he wants to do is play the sport and provide for himself and his family. Having to deal with racism from supporters in the crowd has even made the 23-year-old question whether he wants to continue playing.

“I just want to play football but it’s hard to move forward,” Vinicius said “I feel less and less like playing. It never crossed my mind [to leave Spain] because if I leave Spain, I give the racists exactly what they want.”

Earlier this season, Vinicius applauded Sevilla for swiftly dealing with a racist fan in the crowd. Sevilla delivered the fan to legal authorities and banned him from attending the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.

Does Vinicius deal with more racism in Spain than elsewhere?

While it is a good sign that Sevilla was able to deal with one of these racist fans in a timely matter, the prevalence of racism in Spain continues to be a major area of concern. Dani Carvajal, a Spanish international who is a teammate of Vinicius at Real Madrid, said he does not think Spain is a racist country. However, there are still fans that use soccer games as a vehicle to vent all their other frustrations. Unfortunately, it comes out against the players.

“Sadly, there are people who go to football it seems to let loose all their rage, their anger,” Carvajal said. “When it seems that it hurts someone, they do it more and it’s a pity. Those type of people should not be allowed into stadiums because it’s the ugliest thing that exists in sport.”

Vinicius does not have any plans to play away from Real Madrid. He said people who racially abuse him, and other Black players and Spain will have to see him win trophies and score goals with Real Madrid for the foreseeable future.

“I will stay because that way the racists can continue to see my face more and more. I’m a bold player, I play for Real Madrid, and we win a lot of titles and that doesn’t sit well with a lot of people.”

PHOTOS: IMAGO