Vinicius Jr., controversial celebration against Manchester City: "Cry, cry!"

In the 22nd minute of the first half at the Etihad, Vinicius made a run down the middle from a position that looked marginally offside at the start; once inside the box, he cut inside onto his right foot and curled the ball into the far post, finding the net. The ball rebounded off Donnarumma’s back and remained in play, with Brahim Diaz recovering the loose ball and playing it across towards the far post, where Vinicius once again took centre stage with a first-time shot destined for the near post. However, Bernardo Silva was positioned there and, with his hands behind his back, managed to stretch out his elbow to save the result.  

Vinicius immediately protested to the referee, claiming a handball by Bernardo Silva, prompting a reaction from the Manchester City fans, who immediately showered him with boos and abuse. Play was halted due to an offside position by the Brazilian, initially flagged by the assistant referee, but not confirmed by VAR; consequently, referee Vincic was called to the On-Field Review following an intervention by the City captain. The final decision was a penalty and a red card, with Vinicius stepping up to take the spot-kick.

This time, Vinicius isn’t fooled by Donnarumma and puts Real Madrid ahead, bringing the aggregate score to 4–0 for the time being, but it is the Brazilian’s celebration that has sparked debate: immediately after scoring, Vinicius puts his finger to his lips, silencing the entire Etihad Stadium. He then makes his way towards the corner flag, standing there as if to draw the gaze of the entire stadium upon himself. Finally, he raises his clenched fists to eye level, mimicking the gesture of ‘cry, cry!’. A celebration that is already doing the rounds on the internet.

After the match, Vinicius explained the reason behind his celebration: "It wasn't disrespectful. It's just that City fans had a bit of fun a year ago, and this time I simply gave them a taste of their own medicine." The Brazilian was referring to a banner displayed a year ago, also during a head-to-head clash between City and Real, which showed Spanish midfielder Rodri with the Ballon d’Or he won in 2024 (in which he beat Vinicius, who boycotted the ceremony in protest) accompanied by the words: “Stop crying”.