TThe Bernabéu showed no mercy to Vinicius. The Brazilian, who attracted the most attention from Real Madrid fans in the first game played at Real Madrid’s stadium after the sacking of Xabi Alonso, was not given a moment’s rest. General anger reached its highest intensity at the number 7.
Vinicius is not the first great star to experience a stormy afternoon at Real Madrid’s stadium, and he won’t be the last. However, there is no memory of how strongly Real Madrid fans reacted to a player, both in intensity and duration. He was booed from the first pitch until the last he touched. An episode that will go down in Real Madrid’s history.
Vinicius went straight to the locker room after Real Madrid’s win at the Bernabéu
Di Stefano and socks advertisement
There is no bigger star in the Madrid skies than Alfredo Di Stéfano. The Saeta family also spent a toledan afternoon in Chamartín. At Christmas 1962, a controversial advertisement for women’s stockings sparked outrage at the Bernabéu. Di Stéfano appeared wearing a Real Madrid shirt from the waist up and a woman’s legs underneath. “If I were your wife, I’d wear Berkshire stockings,” he said on the spot. What today would go unnoticed as another viral commercial space for a soccer star was at the time an inevitable scandal for Don Santiago Bernabéu. The Bernabéu coach whistled every time he touched the ball in the first game after the ad, but the crowd stopped accusing him when he scored two goals against Athletic.
Cristiano vs Celta
What Di Stéfano is to Madrid’s history, Cristiano Ronaldo is to the club’s history. He is ahead of him in terms of goals scored. The Portuguese player has experienced several episodes of whistles and criticism from fans. His messages about not feeling loved have angered the Bernabéu many times. On March 5, 2016, Celta visited Chamartín. The Portuguese player’s poor pass infuriated the crowd, who punished him with a whistle. His response was four goals between 50 and 76 minutes. After scoring the first goal, he put his hands over his ears. The event started with whistles and ended with applause.
michel and gorbachev
At the end of the 1988-89 season, when they had already won the league, Michel was furious after being booed during a game against Cadiz. He and Martin Vázquez clashed in the 5-0 loss to Milan in the second leg of the European Cup semi-finals. He became so angry that in the next home game against Espanyol, the whistle blew again and he left the field before the break. “I don’t understand why people don’t come and enjoy the football. It was a day of celebration and they didn’t even allow that. It’s like your father scolding you every day and even on your wedding day.” He said he wanted to leave, but held on to his feelings and reconciled with the fans, despite the ups and downs. “Whistling at Michel at the Bernabéu is like booing Gorbachev at the Politburo,” said Milan president Silvio Berlusconi.
He also had a strong episode in March 1991, when Spartak eliminated Madrid from European Cup competition after a 0-0 draw with Moscow and a 3-1 defeat at the Bernabéu. Anger focused on him. His response was to move off the wing, play as a midfielder and continue to seek the ball.
Zidane did not start
“I was whistled too,” Zidane said, recalling when his players suffered the wrath of the Bernabéu during his time as manager. He arrived in Madrid in the summer of 2001, but did not get off to a good start for several months. The buzz of the first few weeks was followed by whistles blown in several games and debate over what was wrong with him and whether Madrid would have played better without him on the pitch.
regular bail
“I don’t recall ever having a similar altercation with a Real Madrid player, in this case Gareth Bale, who was booed the first few times he touched the ball,” MARCA reported in an article about the game against Real Sociedad on November 23, 2019. The Welshman has experienced some harsh treatment from the crowd, but none as intense as Vinicius received against Levante.
Whistle for Buffon and Casillas
Casillas ended his Madrid adventure on a bad note. His departure was strange. A few weeks ago, Buffon was talking about what has become commonplace: Casillas being whistled at his own stadium. “The whistle on Iker seems unprecedented and ungrateful for what he has given this club and for the 20 years he has been here. It’s a personal situation, so I’m not in a position to give him advice. What I can say is that, beyond the good and bad moments that each of us experience, some footballers don’t deserve that kind of treatment,” the Italian explained.
The relationship between Casillas and the Bernabéu goes before and after his confrontation with Mourinho.
The day Ramos was sent off
Another Madrid legend who performed a symphony at the Bernabéu is Sergio Ramos. It happened on November 3, 2018, the day Solari made his La Liga debut after being sacked as coach Lopetegui. Madrid fans did not like the fact that when asked about Conte, the captain was completely against the appointment of the Italian manager. The first whistle at the start of the match was later made more widespread. “The one who has been here the longest among us has to take on this role. I am the captain and I have to step forward. I am proud to carry the backpack full of stones,” he said after the match.
Di Maria and accommodation
“I don’t know who the whistle was for. When I went out as usual, I felt that half of them were clapping for me and the other half were blowing the whistle for me. They always supported me. I didn’t pretend to be against people or against the coach. I have a good relationship with the public,” Di Maria explained. In fact, when he came on as a substitute in the game against Celta (June 1, 2014), he responded to boos by putting his hand on his genitals. “I was adjusting my pants,” he later said. He returned to the Chamartín pitch a few weeks later against Granada, but received no punishment.
Butrageo’s first
On a historic night in Cadiz in the winter of 1984, Emilio Butrageo brutally stormed into the Madrid team. The idol began to move. Idol soon learned that the Bernabéu would not marry anyone. On 7 December 1985, the fan favorite was booed for the first time in a comfortable 4-0 win over Celta. There may be other episodes, but this one was particularly shocking. He was not at his best and left the pitch after an hour of play, leaving the game in a stalemate at 1-0.
Juanito whistles in celebration
Juanito, Madrid’s idol and symbol, was also punished many times by the demanding Bernabeu crowd. One of the most unusual events occurred on the afternoon of April 16, 1978. It was his first season in Madrid, and on that day, after defeating Cadiz 2-0 and Barcelona losing in Gijón, Los Blancos sang Arirão. What was supposed to be a celebration turned into applause for the team’s poor performance and boos for Juanito, who was particularly unlucky that afternoon.
Benzema’s journey
Karim Benzema left Madrid through the front door. However, Karim is able to explain well how the Bernabéu behaves when they are not working with their players. Having joined in 2009, the link with him did not materialize until 2018, following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo. Even before that, he had accumulated episodes of anger and disapproval. During a match against Real Sociedad in February 2018, the Portuguese player went to the stands and asked for the whistle aimed at Karim to be turned into a cheer for the number nine.
