Real Madrid ace Vinicius Jr. broke down in tears at a press conference on Monday and confessed that he has considered leaving the club over racist abuse received around Spain.
The winger was speaking ahead of a friendly between Brazil and Spain set to take place at the Bernabeu on Tuesday, which was arranged in light of the unacceptable treatment he’s frequently received in grounds around La Liga.
Many questions he fielded were naturally about racism in his adopted homeland, and though Vinicius insisted he doesn’t believe Spain is a racist country, the 23-year-old revealed that the abuse he has been routinely subjected to has forced him to rethink his career.
“I’ve thought so much about leaving La Liga, but if I did I would prove the racists right. I’m going to keep playing for the best club in the world, winning titles, [and] scoring goals so that people have to see my face more often.
“I keep evolving to do these things, to play football, to be the joy of my people, of all the people who go to the stadium. Racists are always in the minority. I’m a daring player, I play for Real Madrid, I win a lot of titles, it’s very complicated.
“I’m going to stay firm and strong because the president [Florentino Perez] and the club support me so that I can stay here,” Vinicius vowed.
“I’m sure Spain isn’t a racist country, but there are a lot of racists here,” the Rio de Janeiro native also pointed out.
“And many of them are in the stadiums, but that has to be changed because perhaps people don’t really know what racism is. That’s very complicated.
“At 23 years old I have to teach many Spaniards what racism is and how it affects me, my family is very sad at home.
“As [ex-Real Madrid and Brazil striker] Julio Baptista said, there used to be less racism. But since the first time I denounced racism at a ground in Spain, it has been increasing.
“They have more strength because they know they can do anything. What they say about the color of my skin can affect me on the pitch and that’s what they try to do, so that I can play badly.
“There are other methods they can use and I won’t have a problem with any of them. I just want to play and be well, so that I can go to all the stadiums in Spain with the peace of mind that they don’t judge me by the color of my skin.”
Vinicius said that with every complaint he has to make about racism, he feels “worse”. Essentially, however, he has to keep “showing up and showing my face”.
“I’ve spoken to big federations – FIFA, UEFA, La Liga… The main problem is that in Spain, racism is not a crime. That makes everything more difficult,” he stressed.
After playing for Brazil against Spain, Vinicius will stay in the latter country’s capital for a Sunday night home meeting with Athletic Club.