Vinicius Jr hailed Lamine Yamal for publicly condemning anti-Muslim chants in Spain’s clash with Egypt last week, saying players need to stick together in the fight against discrimination.
Barcelona star Yamal spoke out against the "intolerable" Islamophobic chanting heard during his side’s friendly, appearing visibly distressed at the RCDE Stadium in his home city.
Spain's football federation (Rfef) swiftly condemned the actions, while Catalan regional police confirmed they have launched an investigation into the incident.
Real Madrid’s Vinicius has been often subjected to racist taunts while playing in Europe and remains vocal about the fight against racism, saying that "it's always complicated" to talk about the subject but "these things happen a lot."
"Hopefully we can continue with this fight," he said. "It's important that Lamine speaks about it. It could help others.
“We are famous, we have money, we can balance these things better, but the poor people and the Blacks who are everywhere, they surely struggle more than we do. So we have to stick together, those who have a stronger voice, the players.”
Vinicius was embroiled in a racism scandal that erupted during February’s Champions League knockout play-off tie with Benfica, accusing Gianluca Prestianni of racist abuse after the Brazil forward celebrated a goal in front of the home fans.
Prestianni was seen holding his shirt over his mouth during a heated exchange with Madrid players as play was getting ready to restart, with Vinicius rushing to the referee to report what he claimed was racism.
Benfica denied the allegations but Prestianni subsequently missed the return leg in the Spanish capital after being hit by a provisional suspension imposed from Uefa.
"I'm not saying that Spain or Germany or Portugal are racist countries, but there are racists in these countries, and in Brazil and other countries as well," Vinicius added.
"But if we keep fighting together, I think future players and people in general won't have to go through this again."
Vinicius spoke on the eve of the first leg between Madrid and Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Additional reporting from AP
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