Striker Vinicius raised his shirt after scoring a hat-trick in Real’s 5-2 win over Dortmund in the third round of the Champions League, similar to Cristiano Ronaldo’s celebration against Barca.
In the 86th minute, Vinicius scored a wonderful goal, raising the score to 4-2 for Real. From Jude Bellingham’s interception, the Brazilian striker accelerated from outside Real’s penalty area and received the ball on the left flank. He then eliminated Emre Can, dribbled diagonally into the middle, twisted Nico Schlotterbeck’s flank and shot high across the corner to beat goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.
After scoring a great goal, Vinicius took off his shirt, ran to the corner flag, pointed his hands to the ground and said “I’m here”. Federico Valverde ran after him and picked up the shirt for his teammate. When he received it back, Vinicius held up the number 7 shirt in front of the Bernabeu stadium.
This image reminds of Ronaldo’s “shirt-raising” act, when he scored a goal, took off his shirt and held it high in front of the Camp Nou stadium in the first leg of the 2017 Spanish Super Cup. This is considered a ” revenge ” act of imitation of what Lionel Messi did in the El Clasico match a few months earlier at the Bernabeu stadium in La Liga.
Vinicius took off his shirt to show off his muscles and then made the same celebration gesture as his senior Cristiano Ronaldo in 2017.
At the Bernabeu yesterday, Dortmund started brilliantly, leading 2-0 thanks to goals from Donyell Malen and 20-year-old midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens in the first half. But in the second half, a hat-trick from Vinicius and goals from Lucas Vazquez and Antonio Rudiger helped Real win 5-2. This is the second time Real have come from two goals down at home in the Champions League, after beating AS Roma 4-2 in September 2004.
“We believed in ourselves, we were playing at home and anything was possible,” said Vinicius after being named man of the match. “Coach Ancelotti said that Real only needed to score one goal to win. In the second half, we changed not only the formation, but also the motivation and the way we played. The Champions League is Real’s competition and we want to continue to win it.”
Seeing Real Madrid fans singing his praises in unison, the 24-year-old striker was excited and wanted to wear the Real shirt for the rest of his career. “I always love hearing the fans sing my name. It’s a dream come true,” he said. “I’m only 24 years old, I want to stay here forever, and contribute as much as I can to the club. Real has given me everything since I arrived here.”
On October 26, Real will continue to play at home against Barca in round 11 of La Liga. Two days later, Vinicius will attend the ceremony at the Chatelet theater in Paris – where he is likely to be awarded the 2024 Ballon d’Or.