Ancelotti Stands by Vinicius After Heavy Criticism: ‘Even I Couldn’t Handle This’
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has come to the defense of his Brazilian star Vinicius Junior after the winger faced heavy criticism for his celebration during a match.
Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe both scored in Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory over Real Sociedad in La Liga on Saturday. The Brazilian winger broke the deadlock in the 58th minute with a penalty, netting his second goal of the season. However, despite his key contribution to Los Blancos’ win, Vinicius faced backlash after making a ‘silencing’ gesture towards the home crowd as he ran to the corner to celebrate.
Following widespread disapproval of his celebration, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti explained that Vinicius’ gesture was in response to the harsh treatment he received from the Real Sociedad fans. The home supporters had tried to unsettle the player by booing him from the very first minutes of the game.
What did Carlo Ancelotti say?
In defense of his player during a press conference, Ancelotti stated, “It was a reaction to a very ugly action. Insults… Nobody could withstand that, even I couldn’t. The ‘silencing’ gesture was totally normal, considering everything that had happened,” he said, standing by his Brazilian star.
The reigning champions of Spain and Europe will kick off their 2024/25 Champions League campaign against VFB Stuttgart on Tuesday night.
