In search of Vinicius Junior: Touring the hometown of Real Madrid’s ‘brilliant star’

In a small bakery, the television in the corner receives little attention.

People engage in light conversation while dishes clatter in the background. A man sits on a wooden stool, sipping coffee as he watches traffic pass.

Then the sports segment airs, displaying distressing images that have become all too familiar: Vinicius Junior in a headlock, being sent off, and facing racial abuse.

For twenty seconds, the patrons focus on the screen in silence, until the bakery owner shakes his head in disappointment.

“They humiliated him,” he says quietly. “A 22-year-old kid…”