Following FC Bayern Munich’s 2-1 victory over Real Madrid, coach Vincent Kompany spoke extensively about Vinicius Junior. During the match, Kompany and the Real star briefly met on the sideline just before the start of the second half. They shared a warm embrace and exchanged a few words. After the game, Kompany explained that it was their first meeting. He emphasized that Vinicius must remain as he is and assured him of his full support, regardless of whether he is an opposing player or not.
Vinicius Junior, 25 years old, has often been criticized in the past for his occasionally provocative behavior on the field. This included discussions with opponents, coaches, or referees, as well as certain goal celebrations in front of opposing fan sections. Kompany, however, argued that the game «sometimes needs players who are different.» He drew parallels to Bayern’s own former player Franck Ribéry. The Bayern coach stressed that everyone is entitled to their opinion on Vinicius, but confrontations should not cross certain lines. He expressed great respect for Vinicius and emphasized that the human aspect takes precedence over the result, even if he doesn’t want the player to perform too well against his team.
This is not the first time Kompany has stood up for Vinicius. Already a few weeks ago, the Bayern coach expressed his full solidarity with the Brazilian during a racism debate. At that time, Vinicius was allegedly subjected to racist abuse during a Champions League match, prompting Kompany to publicly voice his support for Vinicius’s emotional reaction. He stressed that Vinicius’s reaction was authentic and not feigned, and that there would have been no advantage for Vinicius in approaching the referee, other than it being the right thing to do.
Interestingly, Vinicius was also a hotly debated topic among experts before Tuesday night’s match. World Cup winner Christoph Kramer, for example, had advised Bayern players to provoke Vinicius Junior to force a yellow card and thus suspend him for the return leg in the Allianz Arena. Kramer speculated that a team might internally consider how to neutralize such a key player for the second leg. Another booking in the first leg would have been Vinicius’s third in the current Champions League season and would have led to a suspension for the quarter-final return match in Munich. However, this did not happen.