Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior has reacted to a banner displayed by Manchester City fans before their Champions League quarter-final first-leg match.

The Spanish giants won the game 3-2 on Tuesday, giving them an advantage ahead of the return leg.

As the players walked onto the Etihad Stadium pitch, Man City fans unveiled a large banner featuring midfielder Rodri kissing the 2024 Ballon d’Or trophy.

The message on the banner read, “Stop crying your heart out,” which seemed to mock Real Madrid’s disappointment over Vinicius losing the award to Rodri last year. Real Madrid had even skipped the award ceremony in protest.

After the match, Vinicius responded, saying the banner only made him more determined to play well.

“I saw the banner from Man City fans… and it motivated me even more,” he said, as quoted by football journalist Fabrizio Romano. “Whenever rival fans do things like this, it gives me more strength to perform.”

The Brazilian also spoke about Real Madrid’s strong mentality in the Champions League. “It’s difficult to explain what happens with Real Madrid in this competition.

But you can see that we wanted to win. That is the mission, that is the plan.”

Manchester City will now need a big performance in the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu next week if they hope to stay in the tournament.