Brazilian Vinicius Junior broke down in tears during a press conference as he was asked about the racism he has faced during his time in Spain. The 23-year-old fútbol player, who has played at Real Madrid since 2018, is in the country with his national team to play a friendly against Spain.
The game will take place at Real Madrid’s stadium, Santiago Bernabeu, and is being played under the slogan “One Skin,” which aims to send a message against racism. However, in his press conference before the game, Spanish defender Dani Carvajal defended his country, saying Spain was “not racist.”
Vini Jr.’s experiences in Spain paint a very different picture. The Brazilian player has suffered many instances of racial abuse as a Real Madrid player, with stadiums directing racist chants at the player. After being asked three different questions about racism during his press conference, the player had enough and broke down in tears.
“I’m sorry, I just wanted to play football. I just want to play, I just want to do everything for my club, my family,” he said, but he also admitted that it’s hard to move forward after so much racist abuse. “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.”
That wasn’t all. Vini Jr. also added that he wants to stay and win. “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.”
Brazil beat England 1-0 in a game played in Wembley Stadium on Saturday, March 23rd. Vinicius Junior played a decisive role, assisting Endrick for the winning goal. The South American team is set to face Spain next, in a game that will be played on Tuesday, March 26th, at 3:45 ET.