Vinicius Jr. Breaks One Of Lionel Messi's Champions League Records With Man City Display
Despite Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland scoring goals as Real Madrid beat Manchester City on Tuesday night, Vinicius Jr. left the Etihad as the name on everybody's lips.
The Brazilian forward was a huge part of the build-up to this play-off first leg, all thanks to his Ballon d'Or snub and the Real Madrid reaction to Man City's Rodri winning the award instead.
MORE: Thibaut Courtois Jokingly Reacts To Vinicius Jr. Banner From Man City Fans
The Man City fans unfurled a banner before kick-off, which showed Rodri kissing the trophy with the words 'Stop Crying Your Heart Out' on it, a reference to Oasis' 'Don't Look Back In Anger' song.
🚨 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
Real Madrid chose not to attend the Ballon d'Or ceremony in protest when they got wind of the fact Vini Jr. had not won it.
Needless to say, it was Vini Jr. and Real Madrid who had the last laugh on the night as Los Blancos scored twice late on to beat Man City 3-2 and take the advantage to the Santiago Bernabeu.
In the process, Vini Jr. managed to pick up two assists, and he now has 13 Champions League knock-out round assists, which is one more than Lionel Messi managed in 50 more matches.
💫 MVP 💫 pic.twitter.com/ZrQQin6Csm
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) February 11, 2025
Vini Jr. spoke to Movistar (via BBC Sport) after the match, and explained that the banner motivated him to play better, and he was named Man of the Match.
Whenever the opposing fans do things like that, they give me more strength to have a great game, and here I have done it.Vinicius Jr.
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Euan is an experienced soccer writer who has been featured by The Guardian, MARCA, 90min, Sempre Milan and many more similar publications. He secured a first-class degree in journalism at Liverpool John Moores University and his career has seen him primarily focus on European football, developing an in-depth knowledge of multiple clubs and leagues in the process.
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