At the Flamengo stadium where Vinicius Junior, the star of Real Madrid, made his debut, Pierry Amaro Ricardo, young hope of Brazilian football, judges "inhuman" the racism of which his idol is the target in Spain.
In this training center of the club in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro, Ricardo, 18, dreams of following the dazzling trajectory of Vinicius Jr, who signed for Real Madrid at 16 years old.
But the young midfielder fears that black players like him will continue to suffer the treatment inflicted on his idol on Sunday in Valencia, the latest in a series of racist attacks, with monkey cries launched from the stands.
"It's getting worse and worse," laments Ricardo to AFP. "We are judged on our skin color. My mother always told me, since I was very young, that black people should be twice as good".
"Some think it's normal. It's like that. Anyway, I'll get there anyway," he says, determined.
In the training center of the most popular club in Brazil, everyone speaks of their heartbreak to see the treatment suffered by Vinicius, 22 years old today, praised for his exemplary state of mind, a model student who won the hearts of all .
"He was a sensational boy, very respectful and dedicated. He was our best element, on and off the pitch," said 32-year-old Monique Monteiro, who works in reception at the centre.
She remembers, eyes filled with admiration, having seen "Vini" escape poverty, the violence of the streets of Sao Gonçalo, a working-class town on the other side of the bay of Rio, to reach the heights of professional football .
"It was not easy for him. He did everything with the sweat of the brow... and with the support of his family", she continues. "For people like me who have followed his entire career, everything he went through to get to where he is is very sad. To see him suffer like this is really sad."
Vinicius Jose Paixao de Oliveira Junior grew up in a small house at the end of a cul-de-sac, in this poor neighborhood backing onto a highway.
Even after becoming one of the biggest stars in world football, he kept a strong bond with his hometown. His family still lives in the same house, now extended and sumptuously renovated, in this street decorated with graffiti to his glory.
In Sao Gonçalo, everyone is grateful to the child of the country who founded a charity organization, the Vini Jr. Institute, which helps children to flourish through the national passion: football.
The municipality posted a message on social media expressing its "support" and "pride" to the local hero. Many Brazilians, from President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to music icon Gilberto Gil, to other stars of the national team, such as Neymar or Richarlison, have also expressed their support.
In downtown Sao Gonçalo, it's "absurd to call this boy a monkey", says stunned Marcia Maria da Costa, 62, who sells jerseys at a street stall where the demand for the flocked one of "Vinicius Jr “does not contradict itself.
Victor Gabriel Ferreira, salesman by telephone, who grew up in the same neighborhood as the center-forward of the Brazilian selection, is indignant at the succession of racist scandals which overwhelm him.
According to him, "Brazil and the world can't stand to see a black man from a favela rise among the best players in the world. And yet that's what he is".
05/24/2023 04:55:39 - Sao Gonçalo (Brésil) (AFP) - © 2023 AFP
