Vinicius Jr Spurred on by Man City’s Ballon d’Or Banner in Champions League Clash

Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr revealed that a banner displayed by Manchester City fans mocking his Ballon d’Or result provided extra motivation in their Champions League encounter. The Brazilian played a crucial role as Madrid staged a dramatic comeback to win 3-2 at the Etihad Stadium.

Prior to kickoff, City supporters unfurled a large flag featuring midfielder Rodri with his Ballon d’Or trophy, alongside lyrics from an Oasis song taunting Vinicius. However, the stunt backfired as Vinicius helped Madrid overturn a 2-1 deficit in the final minutes.

“I saw the banner and it gave me more strength to have a great game,” Vinicius told reporters afterwards. “When opposing fans do things like that, it motivates me even more.”

The result gives Madrid a slender advantage heading into the second leg at the Bernabeu. City now face an uphill battle to progress in their quest to retain the Champions League trophy.

The banner incident stems from controversy surrounding last year’s Ballon d’Or ceremony, which Vinicius and other Madrid representatives boycotted after Rodri was named the winner. Madrid felt the voting process was flawed and unfairly favored the City midfielder over their own star player.

While City’s attempt at mind games ultimately backfired, the banner saga adds another layer of intrigue to an already compelling Champions League tie between two of Europe’s heavyweight clubs.