Brazil and Santos forward Neymar has often served as a mentor to Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior, helping the latter find his feet in the national team camp. Now, he has made the headlines by offering a classy tribute to the Los Blancos attacker.
Neymar Shows Support for Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior
Earlier this Thursday, Feb. 26, Neymar got back to his scoring ways as he bagged two goals in Santos’ 2-1 victory against Vasco da Gama. He performed a familiar dance at the corner flag after his goals, paying tribute to Vinicius’ recent celebration against Benfica.
Neymar, who spent time at Barcelona between 2013 and 2017, was subsequently asked to shed light on the meaning of his dance in a post-match interaction on Thursday.
“The little dance was for Vini Jr. I told him when he scored the first goal there in Portugal. If you score a goal at the Bernabéu, do the same celebration. Because if I score a goal, I’ll do the same,” Neymar, who recently recovered from a knee surgery, commented.
Vinicius, 25, has become associated with Neymar’s dance as he celebrated his goal against Benfica in a similar way on Feb. 17. He later found himself involved in a controversy as his dance drew jeers from Benfica fans and alleged racial abuse from Gianluca Prestianni.
Following Vinicus’ allegations during Real Madrid’s 1-0 UEFA Champions League playoff first leg 1-0 win at Benfica, the incident was investigated by UEFA. Prestianni, who had allegedly called the Brazilian a ‘monkey’, was handed a provisional suspension afterwards.
In the playoff second leg match at the Estadio Bernabéu, Vinicius scored the second goal of Real Madrid’s 2-1 win against the Portuguese team. He repeated his dance goal celebration after finding the back of the net in the 80th minute of the continental encounter.
READ MORE: Who Will Barcelona Face in UEFA Champions League Round of 16?
Meanwhile, Los Blancos are set to take on Manchester City in the Champions League round of 16, with the two knockout legs scheduled to take place on Mar. 11 and Mar. 17.
Real Madrid legend Emilio Butragueño has backed the La Liga giants to emerge triumphant against the Premier League outfit. He told club media, “We will face a top quality opponent, but at the same time we are aware of the capabilities of our players and the excitement the Champions League always brings us… we have full confidence in the talent and experience of our players and also in our ability to perform strongly in this tie.”
Alvaro Arbeloa’s side will next face Getafe in a La Liga home contest on Monday, Mar. 2.
