Vinicius Junior on celebration – ‘Last season the Manchester City fans provoked me’

Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior was decisive in their second leg Champions League clash against Manchester City, scoring both goals as Los Blancos cruised to a 5-1 victory on aggregate. The Brazilian took the opportunity to settle a few scores from last season.

After scoring his penalty in the first half, a result of a shot that first cracked the post, and then his own effort being blocked on the line by Bernardo Silva, Vinicius went to the corner to celebrate. Embraced by his teammates, as they began to file back to their own half, Vinicius was seen first making a ‘crying’ gesture with his hands, and then turning his back to the crowd and putting his fingers into his ears.

The celebration harks back to a meeting between the two sides last season at the Etihad, when Manchester City fans held up a banner with Rodri Hernandez kissing his Ballon d’Or award, with the caption ‘Stop crying your heart out’. Famously, Vinicius and Real Madrid did not attend the ceremony after finding out that he would not win.

‘They provoked, I did the celebration I felt was necessary’

After the game, Vinicius was asked about his celebration, and he confirmed that it was in relation to the banner last season.

“Football is very long, and last season they provoked me, and I was able to do the celebration I felt was necessary,” he told Movistar+, as quoted by Marca. Later, speaking to CBS Golazo, Vinicius said that it wasn’t meant with any disrespect.

“It wasn’t disrespectful to them, but it was a way of proving myself to the crowd.”

"I wasn't disrespecting the Manchester City fans. It was a just a way for me to prove myself to the fanbase."

Vinícius Júnior reveals the meaning behind his crying celebration 😭⚽

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 18, 2026

Vinicius on Real Madrid’s victory

More generally on the performance of his side, Vinicius noted the importance of knocking out a side like Manchester City while remaining in control.

“It was a very important match for our confidence. We’ve had some good games since the beginning of the season, but we haven’t controlled the game as much as we did in this tie. It was a very difficult match against a great team, with a great coach. They have a lot of possession, but we knew we had to work hard and take advantage of our chances, even though I missed many.”

Real Madrid host Atletico Madrid in the Madrid derby on Sunday night, hoping to keep their title challenge in tact. They will face one of Bayern Munich or Atalanta in the Champions League quarter-finals.