Thibaut Courtois Jokingly Reacts To Vinicius Jr. Banner From Man City Fans
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois shared a lighthearted joke during his postgame chat with the media when asked about the banner celebrating Rodri's Ballon d'Or win before the UEFA Champions League match against Manchester City.
On Tuesday night, City fans at Etihad Stadium unveiled a massive banner showing Rodri kissing the Ballon d'Or, accompanied by the words "Stop crying your heart out."
MORE: Real Madrid Forward Vinicius Jr. Not Fazed By Banner Set To Be Displayed By Manchester City Fans
🚨 This is the provocative banner that Manchester City fans unveiled before the match against Real Madrid 😳#Rodri #Vini #UCL pic.twitter.com/qlx0ojjCzX
— MARCA in English 🇺🇸 (@MARCAinENGLISH) February 11, 2025
After the match, Courtois spoke to Marca and joked that he saw the banner but doubted whether Vinicius understood the message since he wasn't certain if the Brazilian knew English.
I saw it. I don’t know if Vini saw it, but I’m not sure if Vini understands English well enough to know what it was. The only thing that can happen is that it might motivate him to do more, and in the end, it’s the rivalry between teams and fans. I think Vini deserved the Ballon d'Or.Thibaut Courtois
The Belgian shot-stopper spoke about Rodri and how 2024 wasn't his year to win it.
Rodri had a great year with Spain as well, but for me, I think the previous year [2023] was more of Rodri’s year to win the Ballon d'Or than this one [2024]. But in the end, people vote, and everyone has their own opinion, and that’s how those results come about. But well, I think the only thing that does is that it might motivate Vini to do even better.Thibaut Courtois
Vinicius Jr. and Real Madrid had the last laugh as they came out on top against Manchester City 3-2 in the first leg of their Champions League knockout phase play-off.
Erling Haaland put City ahead twice, first with a goal in the 19th minute and again in the 80th. However, Kylian Mbappé leveled the score in the 60th minute, and Brahim Díaz equalized again in the 86th minute.
💫 MVP 💫 pic.twitter.com/ZrQQin6Csm
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) February 11, 2025
Despite the Premier League side having the lead twice during the match, the Spanish club grabbed the late winner, with Jude Bellingham scoring in stoppage time in the second half and Vinicius Jr. providing the assist.
The scene now shifts to Santiago Bernabéu Stadium as Real Madrid will attempt to secure a positive result to advance past Pep Guardiola and his team.
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Eduardo is an experienced freelance football writer covering Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and PSG On SI. He also covers PSG for PSG Talk and French football for Ligue 1's official English website. He's contributed to NBC Sports' regional sports networks, including NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, providing in-depth sports content for those markets.