Vinicius Jr., at the mere age of 24, is already a two-time Uefa Champions League winner and a three-time La Liga champion, which has made him one of the most fearsome wingers in the world for quite a while now. The Brazilian winger had one of his best individual seasons last year; however, he narrowly missed out on the Ballon d’Or award to Manchester City‘s midfield general Rodri, and was absent from even attending the ceremony in France that night as a result.
This season, Vini Jr. has already racked up 16 goals and 10 assists across all competitions, which will be crucial in a season where Real Madrid and Vini himself will look to add more trophies to his already illustrious career by winning the La Liga and Champions League as an effort to make amends for crashing out recently in the Super Copa de Espana final against fierce rivals FC Barcelona in a game where they conceded 5 goals.
Yet, despite his glittering resume—three Spanish championships, countless goals, and a lasting legacy in the country’s football history—Vinicius’s relationship with Valencia, one of Spain’s cultural and footballing powerhouses, remains anything but harmonious. So, what fueled this tension between the star and the city?
Today, we learn a bit more about that.
What is the beef between Vinicius and Valencia?
On 21 May 2023, Valencia hosted Real Madrid at the Mestalla in a thrilling game that ended 1-0 to Valencia with a lot of action and heated moments. Valencia’s Deigo Lopez gave the home team the crucial win in the 33rd minute of the game, in which Vini Jr. was also sent off for having an altercation with Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili and hitting forward Hugo Duro in the face in injury time.
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But Vini’s antics were just a mere reaction to something that occurred in the 73rd minute of the game. According to ESPN, in this moment, the Brazilian winger got into a heated exchange with some Valencia fans behind one of the goals who had been chanting “monkey” at him and making gestures like one.
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Things turned so sour that the match referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea initiated the La Liga’s anti-racism protocol, with a warning announced over the stadium speakers that if the abuse continued, the match would be suspended with immediate effect. However, things cooled down momentarily, and the game resumed in the 78th minute.
Such a heated game with so many controversies garnered a lot of reactions, including one from Carlo Ancelotti, who later after the game told Movistar Plus that,
I don’t want to talk about football today; there is no meaning in talking about football today. What we saw today is unacceptable. An entire stadium chanting racist slurs, I told the referee that he should have stopped the match. La Liga has a problem here. For me, Vinicius is the most important player in the world. La Liga has a problem; these episodes of racism have to stop the match. It’s the entire stadium that is insulting a player with racist chants, and the match has to stop. I would say the same if we were winning 3-0; there is no other way.
As reported by The Independent, Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand also came in defense of the winger after the racist remarks he faced in this game, stating,
Who is protecting Vinicius Junior in Spain? He receives a red card after being choked and receiving racial abuse during the game… How many times do we need to see this young man subjected to this s***? I see pain, I see disgust, I see him needing help, and the authorities don’t do s*** to help him. People need to stand together and demand more from the authorities that run our game. No one deserves this, yet you are allowing it. There needs to be a unified approach to this; otherwise, it will be swept under the carpet again.
Later in June 2024, after a year of legal battles regarding the case, the 3 fans were sentenced to eight months in prison and given a two-year stadium ban after being found guilty of a crime against moral integrity, aggravated by racially motivated discrimination.
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Soon after the sentence, Vini Jr dropped one of the coldest quotes ever to exist by saying,
Many people asked me to ignore it; others said that my fight was in vain and that I should just ‘play football.’ But, as I’ve always said, I’m not a victim of racism. I am an executioner of racists. This first criminal conviction in Spanish history is not for me. It’s for all black people! Let the other racists be afraid, ashamed, and hide in the shadows. Otherwise, I’ll be here to call them out. Thank you to La Liga and Real Madrid for helping to bring about this historic condemnation. There’s more to come.
That was the origin of this long-running beef with Vini Jr. and Valencia. But wait, there was a sequel to this drama when Real played Valencia at the Mestalla again this season recently on January 4th, 2025, in a game that Madrid managed to win 2-1, this time around thanks to 2 quickfire goals from Luka Modric and Jude Bellingham.
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Scriptwriters could not have been more on their A game, as Vinicius was shown a red card yet again this time around for striking the back of Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski’s head following a review by the video assistant referee (VAR) in the 79th minute, in a game where Hugo Duro also scored again like last season’s fixture.
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The incident led to a chain of heated exchanges, with Vinicius needing to be held back by teammate Antonio Rudiger to prevent him from confronting referee Cesar Soto Grado. As a result, according to Goal, Vinicius has received a two-game suspension for violent conduct, ruling him out of crucial La Liga matches against Las Palmas and Real Valladolid. However, he will remain eligible to participate in the Spanish Super Cup with Real Madrid.
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Vini Jr issued an apology for his red card in the game to the fans and his teammates and thanked his colleagues for helping the team secure an important win by posting on X with,
Sorry and thank you, team!!!!!!
This ongoing beef had another recent chapter when Marca reported that Valencia-based artist Victor Navarro entered his piece into the Ninots exhibition, titled “The Golden Crap,” which is a Vinicius-themed doll and figure, and well, the golden crap signals to the Ballon d’Or that he thought he would win but lost out to Rodri, and it’s just an attempt by the Valencia-based artist to mock him after their ongoing beef.
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The Ninots are an integral part of the Les Falles festival in Spain, where hundreds of figures are crafted, with two selected to be spared from the traditional burning of the dolls in March.
This has caused quite a stir over social media with many fans backing the Brazilian winger. One fan stated,
Valencia & even Spain cannot get a worse reputation than what they are doing now. Vinicius Jr. donated millions to the place that dehumanized him to help those suffering in tragic floods. Yet, all he gets in return is mockery. Valencia/Spain might have the worst humans in the EU.
This sentiment is relevant and understandable, as according to Cadena SER, Real Madrid’s squad, led by Vinicius Jr., recently contributed an undisclosed sum to support victims of the severe flooding in Spain’s Valencia region. The players chose to keep their donation amount private, following Real Madrid’s earlier commitment of $1 million to the relief efforts.
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The catastrophic floods in Valencia have claimed the lives of over 200 people, with the death toll expected to rise as many remain missing. Considered the worst flooding disaster in Spain in decades, the calamity has caused widespread destruction, demolishing homes and businesses and leaving over 100,000 vehicles damaged.
Another fan, in reaction to the Vinicius doll made by Navarro, stated humorously,
Lowkey, if I were Vini, I’d take the Saudi check, buy Valencia from Peter Lim (the owner), change the club name to Vinicius CF, change their stadium name to Viniciustella, & only sign black players.
Another more level-headed fan had a different take on this, however, implying that it’s a common Spanish tradition by stating,
I’m a Madrid fan from Madrid, and you all are taking all of this too seriously. Ninots are satirical dolls to be burned during the Fallas. They are made out of of every politician, footballer, or famous person. If you do the slightest research online, you will find Messi, Ronaldo, Trump, and any other kinds of Ninots. I understand that many of our soccer users aren’t aware of Spanish culture, but this particular doll has nothing to do with the racism issues by Valencia supporters.
So there you have it. In today’s episode of football’s most fierce beefs, we uncovered why Vinicius Jr. has an ongoing feud with Valencia—the club, the city, and its fans. Whether it’s a clash of pride or just a case of too much heat in the kitchen, one thing’s clear: this is a rivalry that’s nowhere near cooling off!