Real Madrid star Vinícius Júnior revealed that a banner displayed by Manchester City fans backing Rodri in their Ballon d’Or dispute fueled his motivation to deliver a man-of-the-match performance in Madrid’s thrilling 3-2 comeback victory in the UEFA Champions League.
Ahead of the first leg of the knockout phase playoff at the Etihad Stadium, City fans unveiled a provocative banner featuring Rodri holding the Ballon d’Or trophy which he won ahead of Vinícius alongside the Oasis song title, “Stop Crying Your Heart Out.”
Rather than being deterred, Vinícius used it as motivation to shine. He was instrumental in Madrid’s dramatic victory, including an assist for Jude Bellingham’s 92nd-minute winner, delivering a precise lob over City’s stranded goalkeeper, Ederson.
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“I saw [the banner],” Vinícius told Movistar.
“When opposition fans do things like that, it always gives me extra strength to play a great game. And here, I did exactly that. City know our history and everything we’ve accomplished in this competition.”
Ballon d’Or Snub Still Fuels Madrid’s Fire
Madrid had previously boycotted the Ballon d’Or ceremony in October 2024 in protest of Vinícius missing out on the award. While his exclusion from the prestigious honor remains a contentious topic, this latest display further emphasized his ability to perform on the biggest stage.
When asked about the banner, Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti suggested it may have played a role in Vinícius’ inspired performance.
“I don’t know if Vini saw it,” Ancelotti said in his post-match press conference.
“But after watching his performance, if he did see it, it was clearly a huge motivation for him.”
Meanwhile, City coach Pep Guardiola claimed he hadn’t seen the banner but acknowledged Vinícius as “an extraordinary player.”
Ancelotti Confident Ahead of Second Leg
With the second leg at the Bernabéu next week, Ancelotti believes Madrid holds a “slight advantage” after the 3-2 away win.
“This is the way,” Ancelotti said. “We’ve talked about this for a long time.
The season truly starts now, and despite all our difficulties, we’ve secured a very good result.”
Despite defensive injuries, Madrid’s makeshift backline featuring Raúl Asencio, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Federico Valverde, and Ferland Mendy delivered a solid performance.
“The four at the back had never played together or even trained together, but they had a spectacular game. From this emergency, we got something positive,” Ancelotti added.
With key defenders Antonio Rüdiger and David Alaba expected to return for the decisive second leg, Madrid will look to complete the job and advance further in their pursuit of Champions League glory.
