A journalist’s bizarre question on Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior left Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp utterly perplexed ahead of the European powerhouses’ meeting in the Champions League round of 16. On Tuesday night, Liverpool will host Real Madrid at Anfield in the first leg of their round of 16 Champions League showdown. During his pre-game press conference, Klopp was being questioned by reporters prior to the game, but a query regarding Vinicius Junior left him speechless.
This season, Vinicius has frequently been subjected to nasty racist taunts in Spain, with opponents’ fans constantly shouting obscenities and even making violent gestures against the Madrid winger. Intriguingly questioned if he believed Vinicius Jr. provoked the racist slurs, Klopp responded angrily by criticising the actions of the fans who have treated the Brazilian unfairly.
‘Nothing in the world that could justify that’ – Klopp on racist chants aimed at Vinicius Junior
The most recent racist taunts directed at Vinicius Junior this season came from fans cheering against him at Mallorca earlier this month. Moreover, the racist actions against the 22-year-old were at so much height that a mannequin with the player’s jersey was hanging from a bridge outside of Real Madrid’s training facility last month. The Brazil international was again subject to such veil abuses in their last game against Osasuna, a 2-0 win.
However, the reporter during Klopp’s presser posed the Liverpool manager with a weird question which drew his ire. The journalist appeared to suggest whether Vinicius inflicts harm on himself because of ‘an aspect of his game that is sometimes provocative, that creates some reaction’. Klopp, who was fuming at the reporter’s query snapped back:
“What is the question? That he [Vinicius] is doing something on the pitch that could cause it? There is nothing in the world that could justify that. Imagine if I say yes? That would be completely insane.”
Klopp continued to shower praise on Vinicius, even claiming that despite the winger being just 22-years-old, he has already consolidated his place in the club’s history as a ‘legend’. Following Vinicius Junior’s sole strike in Real Madrid’s 1-0 triumph over Liverpool in the Champions League final in Paris, Klopp declared that he is fully aware of the threat the player poses to his team’s chances of moving on to the quarterfinals. The Liverpool manager continued:
“He was that night [Champions League final] – with a really young age – didn’t get fazed by the way the game went, how they were not always dominant and stuff like that. He was there in the decisive moment, I’m pretty sure that already makes him a Real Madrid legend at a very young age. I hope he’s not fazed by any idiots who say something about him.
“You try to deny passes to him, but the problem we have is if you can defend and we need to, there is also [Karim] Benzema and then there is [Fede] Valverde or whoever, and if you can defend all three then Toni Kroos can fire the ball from 25 yards in the top corner.”