During the match against Valencia, Vinícius Jr. alleged that he was a victim of racially motivated antagonization from home fans. It was in the 70th minute of the game that the winger called things to a halt, gaining the official's attention to point out a cluster of fans in Mestalla Stadium that were seemingly assumed to be giving him trouble.

When Vinícius Jr. approached the crowd, the crowd began to fight back by chanting racial slurs and waving their banners at him. While players from both teams investigated the situation, those from Real Madrid backed Vinícius Jr.

During the scene, Real Madrid players stood with their teammate while Valencia players did what they could to regain control of the fans. Coach Carlo Ancelotti then discussed the ongoing events with Vinícius Jr.

He talked the winger into keeping himself in the game despite his desire to leave the match altogether. However, things continued to escalate on the pitch following the seven-minute delay that the disruption to the match had caused. A second incident involving Vinícius Jr. shortly followed the first.

Vinícius Jr. and goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, among others on the pitch, had gotten themselves into a physical alteration. It was observed by match officials that Mamardashvili put Vinícius Jr. into a headlock, and Valencia substitute Huge Duro was pushed by Vinícius Jr. Mamardashvili was given a yellow card as a form of punishment, but Vinícius Jr. was awarded the first red card of his career.