Vinicius Jr explains ‘crying’ celebration was response to Man City fans’ mockery over Ballon d’Or defeat to Rodri Real Madrid star downs Pep Guardiola’s men in Champions League

Vinicius Junior returns to haunt Manchester City, following up on his match-winning performance at Etihad Stadium with a defiant explanation for his controversial goal celebration. After opening the scoring with a penalty, the Brazilian forward made a “crying” gesture at the home crowd. The act was a direct response to the taunts he received following his high-profile Ballon d’Or snub in 2024.

The Etihad silenced once again

The Champions League round-of-16 second leg saw the rivalry between Madrid and City renewed. Leading 3-0 from the first leg, Madrid effectively killed the tie in the 22nd minute through Vinicius Jr. After a chaotic sequence saw Bernardo Silva sent off for a deliberate handball on the line, the Brazilian international stepped up to convert the resulting penalty. His subsequent celebration—first silencing the crowd before mimicking a crying gesture—immediately sparked outrage among the home faithful. It was a historic night for the forward, who has now been involved in eight goals against City, a record surpassed only by Lionel Messi (9) in the competition’s history.

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Setting the record straight

Following the match, Vinicius was quick to clarify that his actions were not as a result of general disrespect but were instead a targeted response to the treatment he received during Madrid’s previous visit to Manchester. “The last time we came here, the Manchester City fans were making fun of me,” the forward explained, referring to banners mocking his second-place finish to Rodri in the 2024 Ballon d’Or. “I wasn’t disrespecting City fans, but it was a way for me to prove myself to them.”

A rivalry defined by individual battles

The tension between the two European heavyweights has transcended tactical setups to become deeply personal. The interaction between Vinicius and the City supporters highlights how the 2024 Ballon d’Or results continue to reverberate through the Champions League. While Rodri’s victory was a point of pride for the blue half of Manchester, it remains a sore point for the Madrid hierarchy, who famously boycotted the event. Vinicius’ clinical performance — which saw him force a red card and score the decisive aggregate goal — served as a reminder of his status as one of the world’s premier match-winners, regardless of individual accolades.

Man City boss Pep Guardiola said: “It is difficult once you are 4-0 down and playing 10 men against 11. But we did everything.

“We have an extraordinary team and an extraordinary group of players. The future is bright. It’s a little bit of a learning [curve] but it should have been 11 against 11. But we never know. Maybe we lose 6-0 but it’s a fact.”

He added: “On Monday [after Carabao Cup final] hopefully we will wake up and it is a sunny day. It is not crucial, it is a football game, we are going to try to win with a good performance.

“We will challenge against the best team in England so far, the best team in Europe because look at their results in the group phase, they were first and have lost three or four games all season. We will challenge them and we have to see how we are competing against them.”

He also defended their form, adding:  “After one or two weeks, we play against them in the Premier League and it is a good mirror to see what we have to do to achieve [like] them. I am old enough to see that one football game is not the big happiness or a loss is the end of the world, it’s just a game.

“In the end, the results have not been good except Newcastle but I have the feeling we are an extraordinary team with many, many, many good things that I love.

“We are still not complete, we are not aware in certain moments and departments, we have to be more clinical but my feeling is it is a question of time.”