Manchester City fans' decision to mock Vinicius Junior over his Ballon d'Or defeat backfired as the Brazilian was crowned man of the match after Real Madrid's 3-2 win on Tuesday. Madrid travelled to City for the first leg of their Champions League play-off, with Vinicius lining up on the left wing. Erling Haaland put City ahead 19 minutes in, before Kylian Mbappe equalised on the hour mark. A mad final 10 minutes began when Haaland handed the hosts the lead again from the penalty spot. But former City man Brahim Diaz equalised before Bellingham slid in the winner from close range two minutes into added time.
It means that Pep Guardiola's side are now fighting for their future in Europe's premier competition. Both ahead of and during the game, City fans aimed a number of jibes at Vinicius. The Madrid star was the favourite to win the 2024 Ballon d'Or, but City midfielder Rodri took home the award instead. Madrid took the decision to boycott the ceremony when it was leaked that Vinicius would not be winning the main title.
City fans took the chance to mock him on Tuesday by unfurling a huge banner which showed Rodri kissing the Ballon d'Or as the teams walked out before kick-off. In large text, the words 'Stop Crying Your Heart out' were displayed, a reference to Oasis' hit 2002 single. Vinicius himself was aware of the message before the game and felt "even more motivated" to beat City. During the game, City fans went even further and could be heard chanting "where's your Ballon d'Or?" at Vinicius.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Who was man of the match as Madrid beat Manchester City? Comment below. The Brazilian cheekily responded by pointing to the Champions League badge on the side of his shirt, which contained the number 15, a reference to the number of European Cups Madrid have won, with Vinicius himself winning two. And in a further sign that he had had the last laugh, Vinicius was named man of the match, having assisted both Diaz and Bellingham in their goals. Following the game, the Brazilian publicly admitted the taunting had spurred him on.
"Yes, I saw it," he told Movistar when asked about the banner. "At times the opposing fans do things which spur me on to put in a great performance. I did that again here tonight and we managed to win the game. "We have to get back to Madrid and our fans will make it special. They know our history and what we're capable of in this competition. This is the fifth time we've come to play in Manchester. We have to keep going, there are still 90 minutes to play.
"This competition has that something special, I hope we can keep going. There are lots of games left to play. The return leg will be tough but we have to keep this up and defend like we did tonight to ensure another magical night in front of our fans.". Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
