Vinicius Junior confirms he wants to continue with Real Madrid

Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior has admitted he has been hurt by the boos from his own fans in recent matches. In his last three appearances at the Santiago Bernabeu, Vinicius has been booed by the crowd, although the reactions subsided on Tuesday night after a brilliant performance against AS Monaco, where he was named man of the match.

Speaking after the match, Vinicius explained that the fans’ reaction has deeply affected him.

“It makes me very sad. I don’t want to be booed at home, where I feel very comfortable. And in the last few games I didn’t feel comfortable because every time I played badly or did something wrong, they booed me. But they are right. They pay a very expensive ticket for this. I don’t understand, but I am here to continue improving and to always fight for this team and for this club that has given me so much,” he told TNT Sports Brasil.

Many have considered losing the Ballon d’Or at the end of 2024 to be the turning point, after which Vinicius’ performances began to decline. The Brazilian himself said he could do nothing about the rumours that he had a role in Xabi Alonso’s departure, but admitted that he has not played at his best in the last year.

“There is nothing I can do, nothing. The only thing I can do on the pitch is to go out and give everything. I will not always be in my best technical form, but I have always given my best for the team, I have done everything possible to make everyone feel comfortable. When others are missing goals, I try to provide assists; when I have to defend, I try to defend. Of course, I am not the best defender in the team; there are other players for that.”

“But the media says whatever they want, the fans think and understand that they have to criticize me, but I believe that the best way to improve is to come home and be welcomed by the people here at the Bernabeu, by the best fans in the world, as I have always said, who demand a lot from the players. I have to be at my highest level at all times. The last year has been difficult for me because I have not been able to play the way I want, but it is always important to continue because I want to stay here for a long time.”

In the background remains the issue of his contract. Vinicius has 18 months left on his contract and has publicly expressed his desire to stay at the Bernabeu, despite recently becoming the “enemy” of the scene. He reiterated this desire and highlighted his strong relationship with president Florentino Perez.

“There are still many talks about renewing my contract, but I still have another year left. We are very calm about it. I trust the president, he trusts me, we have a very good relationship and we will resolve things in due time; we are not in a hurry.”

On Wednesday, it was reported that agent Federico Peña is already in the Spanish capital and talks about renewing the contract could resume soon. Regardless of whether Vinicius had a role in Alonso’s departure, it is thought that the latter’s departure from the coaching position could ease negotiations, which have been stalled for seven months.