Vinícius Júnior debuted a new goal celebration after he found the back of the net against Mallorca, paying homage to professional padel player Juan Lebrón.
The sold-out crowd at the Santiago Bernabéu leapt to their feet as Vinícius Júnior completed Real Madrid’s comeback on Saturday night, scoring the winner with a brilliant bit of individual skill in the 38th minute. The 2–1 victory for Los Blancos maintained their perfect La Liga record under Xabi Alonso.
It was not just Vinícius Júnior’s goal that turned heads, though. After the Brazilian did his typical celebration and hugged his teammates, he took extra time to execute a new move that looked like he was swinging a racket.
It was not until Vinícius Júnior went on social media after the match that the new celebration made sense. The winger dedicated his goal to Spanish padel player Lebrón, a Real Madrid fan who is also a friend of his.
“Un poco de padel en Bernabéu,” Vinícius Júnior wrote on Instagram, which translates to, “A little padel at the Bernabéu.”
Lebrón, who was in the stands at the Santiago Bernabéu, responded, “El mejor,” which translates to, “The best.”
Vinícius also received praise from Alonso after the match: “[Vinícius] performed well. It was a better game for him than against Osasuna and it was an important goal to put us in front.
“I’m happy with Vini’s game. He's scoring goals and that’s important.”
The Brazil international came under fire last season for his lack of production in La Liga. Vinícius Júnior scored just 11 goals in 30 league appearances, often outdone by Kylian Mbappé, who won the Pichichi Trophy and European Golden Boot.
Through three La Liga fixtures under Alonso, though, Vinícius Júnior already has two goals to his name, along with an assist. The 25-year-old has contributed to three of Real Madrid’s six goals so far, a promising sight after his underwhelming 2024–25 campaign.
READ THE LATEST REAL MADRID NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE
This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘The Best’—Vinicius Jr Explains New Real Madrid Goal Celebration.
