Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr has vowed to continue his fight against racism after three Valencia fans received prison sentences for abusing him during a LaLiga match in May 2023.

It was confirmed on Monday that the three supporters have each been jailed for eight months and been banned from attending football matches for two years. These are the first criminal convictions for racially abusing a footballer in Spain.

Vinicius Jr - the current favourite for the Ballon d'Or after leading Madrid to LaLiga and Champions League glory last season - has responded to the convictions on social media.

He wrote on X: 'Many asked me to ignore it, many others said that my fight was in vain and that I should just "play football". But, as I've always said, I'm not a victim of racism. I am a tormentor of racists. 

'This first criminal conviction in the history of Spain is not for me. It's for all black people. May other racists be afraid, ashamed and hide in the shadows. Otherwise, I'll be here to collect. 

Vinicius Jr was racially abused by Valencia fans during a match last year and attempted to point out the perpetrators 

'Thank you to La Liga and Real Madrid for helping with this historic conviction. More to come…'

Real Madrid released their own statement, revealing the fans had accepted criminal responsibility and made public a letter of apology to Vinicius Jr. 

Vinicius Jr was left in tears on the pitch after being racially abused when Madrid played Valencia at the Mestalla in the final weeks of the 2022-23 season.

It was the 10th occasion that he had been targeted by racist chants during the campaign, and he was sent off in the latter stages of the match after getting into an altercation with Valencia's Hugo Duro.

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The Spanish FA later rescinded his red card to ensure he was not given a suspension, while they fined Valencia £40,000 and ordered one of their stands to be closed for five matches following fans' treatment of Vinicius Jr.

Valencia 'strongly condemned' the racist chants and vowed to ban any fans responsible 'for life', but later accused Vinicius Jr of telling 'unfounded lies' when he testified against the three fans at a trial last October.

Vinicius Jr refused to be deterred but admitted that the frequent abuse had taken its toll on him when he broke down in tears at a press conference ahead of Brazil's friendly against England in March.

Following the shocking scenes at the Mestalla, where the Brazilian superstar was seen trying to point out the perpetrators, reports circulated that Vinicius Jr could look to leave Madrid after being 'pushed to his limit'.

But the 23-year-old opted to stay put, and enjoyed an outstanding 2023-24 season under Carlo Ancelotti in the Spanish capital.

He finished the season with 24 goals and 11 assists in all competitions, scoring in the final of the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund to hand Madrid their 15th European Cup, and is now set to compete at the Copa America this summer.