Vinicius Jr reminds Man City of unfortunate banner in Champions League thrasing

Vinicius Junior made sure to remind Manchester City fans of their cheeky banner after scoring two during Real Madrid’s 2-1 victory.

The Brazilian starred as Real beat Man City 5-1 on aggregate to knock them out of the Champions League on Tuesday evening – and he made sure to rub it in.

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Last season, Vinicius Jr. was the subject of a banner from City supporters that mocked him for losing out on the Ballon d’Or.

Rodri won the prestigious award over him and he did not attend the ceremony in protest, along with his Los Blancos counterparts.

So, when Real Madrid met Man City in the Champions League a few months after the boycott, they made sure to take the mick.

Before kick-off in their meeting in February 2025, City fans held up a huge banner of Rodri kissing the Ballon d’Or trophy, with the words ‘Stop Crying Your Heart Out’ written on it in big, bold letters.

It ended up backfiring on the night, as the Spanish giants came out on top in a thriller, winning 3-2 thanks to a late Jude Bellingham goal.

And now, over a year later, Vinicius Jr. is still getting his payback.

After 22 minutes of the second leg at the Etihad Stadium, which Real took a 3-0 lead into, Bernardo Silva handballed on the line and was sent off, literally handing a penalty to the Spaniards.

Vini Jr. stepped up and scored from the spot to make it 4-0 on aggregate, wheeling away and shushing the Man City fans.

He was then also spotted making a crying gesture, wiping his eyes with his fists.

Speaking afterwards, he explained: “Well the last time I came to Man City, they were making fun of me, saying I was crying about the Ballon d’Or.

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“I wasn’t disrespecting the City fans, it was just a way for me to prove myself go the Man City fanbase today.”

The Real star went on to add his second of the night with the last kick of the game to fully get his own back and help dump City out of the Champions League with a hammering.

‘Stop crying your heart out’

Man City used the famous Oasis lyrics to celebrate Rodri winning the Ballon d’Or last season over Vinicius Junior.

The 25-year-old was left fuming by his snub, sending a defiant message on social media after losing, writing in October 2024: “Eu farei 10x se for preciso. Eles nao estao preparados,” which translates to: “I’ll do it 10x if I have to. They’re not ready.”

He had scored 24 goals and provided 11 assists for Real Madrid in the 2023/24 campaign, in which his side won the treble.

Vini Jr. was also named in the La Liga and Champions League Teams of the Season, and was also the latter’s Player of the Season.

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However, he missed out to Rodri, who won the Premier League title with Man City and Euro 2024 with Spain that year.

And the memory of that loss and the banner from City fans clearly still lives in Vinicius’ head two years on.

Man City sent packing

Pep Guardiola and Man City had a very tough task on their hands to turn the Champions League last 16 tie around on Tuesday.

They trailed 3-0 after the first leg thanks to a remarkable first-half hat-trick from Federico Valverde last week.

And after Vinicius Junior made it 1-0 at the Etihad and 4-0 on aggregate, their fate was sealed after just 22 minutes.

Erling Haaland managed to get a goal back, but with Silva sent off, they were unable to push on and score more, and Vini Jr. managed to compound their misery with another strike in the final seconds.

It meant they were eliminated from the Champions League, while Real Madrid moved on to the quarter-finals.

Alvaro Arbeloa’s side will likely face Bayern Munich in the last eight, with the German giants 6-1 up against Atalanta after the first leg.