"I think he should stay as he is": Bayern coach Vincent Kompany speaks out in support of Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior

When asked about the incident after the final whistle on Prime Video, Kompany said: "That was the first time I’ve ever clashed with him. I think Vini needs to stay true to himself. He has my full support. It doesn’t matter at all whether it’s an opposing player or not."

Vinicius has repeatedly come under criticism in the past for his sometimes extremely provocative behaviour on the pitch. Verbal exchanges with opposing players, coaches or even the referees, as well as celebratory poses directly in front of the opposition’s fan stands, are a regular occurrence for the 25-year-old.

According to Kompany, however, "sometimes you need players like that who are different. We have them too, and we enjoy the success these players bring. At Bayern, for example, that was Franck Ribéry."

Of course, everyone is entitled to their opinion on Vinicius Junior, but the Munich coach made it clear that altercations must “not cross a line”. “That’s why I have great respect for Vini. Naturally, I don’t want him to play too well against us, but the human aspect comes before the result,” said the Belgian.

Kompany had already taken a clear and unequivocal stand in support of Vinicius during the racism debate a few weeks ago, assuring him of his backing. At the time, the Brazilian had allegedly been subjected to racist abuse by opponent Gianluca Prestianni during Real Madrid’s Champions League match against Benfica, prompting Kompany to make a passionate appeal at a press conference.

"If you look at Vinicius’ reaction, you can see that it cannot be feigned. It is an emotional reaction and I see no advantage whatsoever for him in going to the referee and taking the whole burden of this disaster upon his shoulders. There is no reason for Vinicius to do that. But he does it, and he does it because it is the only right thing to do at that moment," said the Belgian when the subject was raised.

Even before kick-off on Tuesday evening, Vinicius had been the topic of discussion among the experts on Prime Video. World Cup winner Christoph Kramer, for instance, advised the Bayern players to provoke a yellow card from the Brazilian so that he would miss the second leg at the Allianz Arena.

“I reckon that internally, the team would be saying: ‘Blimey, we really need to get him sent off for the second leg,’” speculated Kramer. The reason: had Vinicius received another booking in the first leg – it would have been his third yellow of the current Champions League season – he would have missed the quarter-final second leg in Munich next Wednesday. But it didn’t come to that.