Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma told Vinicius Jr to ‘make everyone love him’ after his controversial celebration at the Etihad Stadium. The Brazilian winger was once at the centre of things for Real Madrid against the Premier League side.
He netted a brace for the Spanish side to rubber-stamp their place in the Champions League quarter-finals - the second coming in the form of a 93rd-minute penalty. But Vinicius’ celebration did not go down particularly well as he stood in front of the home fans and pointed to the name on his shirt.
Donnarumma approached Vinicius during his celebration and has now revealed why. He said: "He's a champion and should be loved by everyone. I told him that.
"He's played two great games, but I think someone like him should be loved by everyone. He should try to make everyone love him because he's a champion."
Vinicius, 25, has now scored four goals and notched five assists against Manchester City during his career. And he has explained why he decided to celebrate in front of the home supporters.
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He said: "The last time we came here, the Manchester City fans were making fun of me. I wasn't disrespecting City fans but it was a way for me to prove myself to them."
Away from his celebration, Vinicius was key to victory for Real Madrid as they progressed 5-1 on aggregate following a stunning 3-0 success at the Bernabeu. It also leaves City with just domestic silverware to claim, albeit their hopes are fading.
City are now nine points behind Arsenal in the race for the Premier League title. And while Donnarumma has recognised that Pep Guardiola’s side have work to do to rescue their season, they have the perfect opportunity against the Gunners in the Carabao Cup final.
He added: "I think the sending-off was decisive, but football is like that, made up of incidents, especially in the Champions League.
"I'm proud of my teammates, we played a great match and with 11 against 11 it would have been different.
"The disappointment is huge, but we have to get back on our feet because on Sunday we now have the Carabao Cup to bring home. There's also the national team and the need to bring Italy back to the World Cup."
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