Pele sends message to Real Madrid's Vinicius amid racist remark

Football legend Pele has sent a heartwarming message to Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr after the winger was the victim of a racist remark for his dance celebration.

Vinicius has been known to celebrate the majority of his goals by dancing near the corner flag in front of the fans, whether away from home or away from the stadium.

During an appearance on El Chiringuito, Pedro Bravo, the president of the Spanish football agents, commented on the Brazilian's celebration.

Bravo said: "You have to respect your opponents. When you score a goal, if you want to dance the Samba, you have to go to the Sambadrome in Brazil. You have to respect your friends and stop playing monkey."

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However, there was quite a bit of backlash due to the racist nature of Bravo's comments.

Bruno Guimaraes of Newcastle United, who is Vinicius' team-mate in the Brazil national team, has called for Bravo's arrest by the authorities.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti also backed Vinicius and said his player is modest when it counts and doesn't need to change his attitude.

Paris Saint-Germain's Neymar, meanwhile, asked his compatriot to 'dribble, dance and be you' amid all the drama.

Furthermore, Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez was asked about his opinion on the player's celebration ahead of his side's La Liga draw with Elche on Saturday.

The former Spanish midfielder said in his pre-match press conference: "Everyone celebrates goals as they wish. Let everyone do what they want as long as it's not not disrespectful."

Now Pelé, one of the greatest footballers in the world, has also sent a message to Vinicius.

Pelé wrote on Twitter on Friday: "Football is joy. It's a dance. It's a real party. Although racism still exists, we will not allow that to stop us from continuing to smile. And we will continue to fight racism this way: by fighting for our right to be happy. #BailaViniJr."