Vinicius Junior scored twice to secure Real Madrid’s 2-1 Champions League Round of 16 victory over Manchester City, advancing with a 5-1 aggregate win. The Brazilian forward celebrated his first goal—a penalty—with a ‘cry cry’ gesture toward the home fans, placing a finger to his lips.

Response to Fan Banner

In a post-match interview, Vinicius explained the gesture stemmed from a banner displayed by Manchester City supporters during his previous visit to the Etihad Stadium. The display mocked him over the 2025 Ballon d’Or, which Rodri won ahead of the Real Madrid star.

“The last time I came here to Manchester City, they were making fun of me and saying that I was crying about the Ballon d’Or,” Vinicius stated. “I wasn’t disrespecting the fans but it was just a way for me to prove myself to the Manchester City fanbase today.”

City fans unveiled a large tifo showing Rodri kissing his Ballon d’Or trophy, captioned ‘Stop Crying Your Heart Out’—a jab at Vinicius, who finished second and skipped the ceremony alongside his teammates.

Penalty Redemption

Vinicius redeemed a missed penalty from the first leg, converting this one after Bernardo Silva’s handball on the goal line. He netted again late to seal the tie.

“I was really disappointed not to score last week,” he said. “Fede scored the three goals and then I really, really wanted to score that penalty but it wasn’t to be. But he gave me confidence, he told me that today would be the day and I was able to score the penalty. Really happy about that.”