Vinicius Junior usually hogs the limelight with his sensational dribbling skills and prolific goal scoring prowess. Vinicius did manage to find his name on the scoresheet during Real Madrid’s La Liga victory over Valencia but the Brazilian found his name in the headlines, thanks to his footwear. Vinicius and his much-talked-about tussle with Nike became a big talking point after the Real Madrid winger decided to play the first half of the game in blacked-out boots on Friday. The 22-year-old, in order to stage an anti-Nike protest, rejected the Mercurial Vapor version he usually wears. A report published by The Athletic now claims that Vinicius has ended his 10-year association with Nike.
Vinicius Junior’s shocking move comes just days after American sportswear giant found itself in an embarrassing controversy. Nike, reportedly, had cropped out the Adidas logo and replaced it with the Swoosh in an ad featuring a photo of young Cristiano Ronaldo.
Vinicius Junior becomes the latest high-profile figure to cut off his contract with Nike after the likes of Neymar, Sergio Ramos and Raheem Sterling ended ties with the sports company.
Vinicius Junior had signed a contract with Nike in 2013. The former Flamengo winger had renewed his contract in 2018. Vinicius had been the brand ambassador for Nike for a decade. A source close to Vinicius has now revealed that the player’s camp is in no hurry at all to associate with another brand.
“Vini’s contract with Nike has expired. We are in no hurry to sign with another brand. The key for us is to find the right company that appreciates and believes in Vini and is willing to invest in his brand through campaigns and activation worldwide,” the source told The Athletic on Thursday.
Coming back to the La Liga game, Vinicius Junior found the back of the net in the 54th minute to earn a two-goal cushion for the Los Blancos. This turned out his seventh goal in the domestic league this season. Spanish striker Marco Asensio had pulled off a breath-taking long-range effort to beat Valencia custodian Giorgi Mamardashvilli in the 52nd minute. After this win, Carlo Ancelotti’s men now find themselves five points behind table-toppers Barcelona.
In their next assignment, Real Madrid will be up against Mallorca on Sunday.
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