A MANCHESTER CITY instrumentality radical person claimed Tuesday’s Ballon d’Or banner was NOT aimed astatine Vinicius Jr.
The radical unfurled the tifo anterior to City’s Champions League clash with Real Madrid connected Tuesday.
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RexRodri won the prestigious gong past twelvemonth soon aft going down with a serious ACL injury.
Vinicius and Real Madrid boycotted the ceremony, believing the Brazilian to beryllium the rightful winner.
The banner astatine Tuesday’s crippled showed a representation of Rodri kissing his Ballon d’Or trophy.
It was accompanied by the words: “Stop crying your bosom out.”
Most had assumed the banner was a nonstop jibe astatine Vinicius, who started for Madrid successful the clash.
The Brazilian admitted aft his side’s melodramatic 3-2 triumph he “had seen” the tifo pre-match.
But 1894 instrumentality radical assertion Madrid president Florentino Perez – who was successful the stands astatine the Etihad – was really the intended target.
The radical wrote connected X: “Nobody successful the media really realised that the idiosyncratic the banner targeted was not adjacent connected the pitch?
“Florentino Perez. It’s him who instigated a slur run against Rodri & boycott of the ceremonial by his clubs’ players.
“Point needed making immoderate the effect of the game.”
It proved a nighttime to hide for City, who threw distant a 2-1 lead with minutes to spell astatine the Etihad.
They present look an uphill conflict to suffice for the last-16 of the tournament, with the 2nd limb astatine the Bernabeu connected February 19.
Following the victory, Vinicius said: “I saw the banner.
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“Whenever the opposing fans bash things similar that they springiness maine much spot to person a large crippled and present I person done it.
“They cognize our history, everything we bash successful this competition.
“It is the 5th clip we travel here, it is ever precise cold, but this clip we person won and we person to proceed this.”
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