Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior broke down in tears during a press conference on Monday and admitted he has considered quitting football as a result of racial abuse in Spain. Vinicius couldn’t contain his emotions as he addressed the media ahead of Brazil’s friendly against Spain on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old has been the victim of vile abuse from football fans in Spain since arriving from Flamengo in a £39million deal in 2018, with minimal action seemingly being taken to counter it.
He has requested help from football’s most prominent organisations, including FIFA, UEFA, Conmebol and CBF, but claims he feels worse with each complaint.
During Monday’s press conference, Vinicius burst into tears as he explained the serious effects that racism has had on him and suggested he was receiving little support.
“Sorry, I just want to play football, do everything for my club and my family. I just want to play football […] I’ve thought about quitting,” Vinicius said.
“Verbal racism happens not only in Spain but also throughout the world. Every day I go home, I get sadder. Nobody is supporting me.”
His emotional reaction received supportive applause from the reporters present, one of whom was said to have choked up when asking a question.
Vinicius admitted that he had thought about quitting football but insisted the prospect of leaving Real for another club to escape Spain has never crossed his mind.
He added: “I have never thought about leaving Spain because that would be giving the racists what they want.
“I’m not going to leave the best club in the world. The racists are a minority. I’m going to remain firm and strong because the president and the club support me.
“I’m sure Spain is not a racist country, but there are many racists, and many of them are in the stadiums. We have to change because many of them don’t know what racism is.
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