“If we continue to fight together, future players will not have to go through this again,” said the Real Madrid player.
Published April 7, 2026
Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior has praised Barcelona player Lamine Yamal for publicly condemning anti-Muslim chants in a recent match, saying players need to unite in the fight against discrimination.
Vinicius spoke on Monday, less than a week after Yamal criticized the chants of Spanish fans during last Tuesday’s friendly match between Spain and Egypt. Yamal, who is Muslim, said the chant was disrespectful and intolerable.
Brazil international Vinicius has been vocal about his fight against racism, having often faced racist taunts while playing in Europe. He said it’s “always complicated” to talk about the subject, but “this happens all the time.”
“I hope we can continue this fight,” he said.
“It’s important for Lamine to talk about it. It might help others. We’re famous, we have money, we can balance these things better, but the poor and black people everywhere are definitely having a harder time than us. So we have to come together, people with stronger voices, players…”
Vinicius accused Benfica’s Gianluca Prestiani of calling him a monkey as he celebrated in front of the home fans after he scored a goal for Madrid in a Champions League match in Lisbon last month. Benfica fans insulted Vinicius from the stands.
“I’m not saying that Spain, Germany and Portugal are racist countries, but there are racists in those countries, and there are racists in Brazil and other countries,” Vinicius said. “But if we continue to fight together, I don’t think future players or the public will have to go through something like this again.”
Vinicius was speaking on the eve of the Champions League quarter-final first leg between Madrid and Bayern Munich at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid.
Yamal, a Muslim, last week slammed chants of “unbearable” at the RCDE stadium near Barcelona, home of La Liga side Espanyol.
“Although (the chant) was directed at the opposing team and not towards me personally, as a Muslim it still shows a lack of respect and is unacceptable,” Yamal wrote on Instagram.
“To those who sing these things: Using religion as a means of ridicule on the pitch shows that you are ignorant and racist.”
Yamal, whose father emigrated to Spain from Morocco, slammed his fans.
“I know I was playing on a rival team and it wasn’t anything against me personally, but as a Muslim it’s still disrespectful and intolerable.
“I’m a Muslim. Yesterday I heard chants in the stadium saying, ‘He who doesn’t jump is a Muslim.'”
