Captain's Bond: Mbappe Steps Up for Vinicius On and Off the Pitch

Mbappe backs Vinicius on and off the pitch

French star Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid's forward, publicly backed his teammate Vinicius Junior after the Brazilian found himself in a tense moment with the club’s fans.

Vinicius endured boos from Real Madrid supporters at the Santiago Bernabeu whenever he touched the ball in the Levante match in La Liga.

Mbappe approached Vinicius after he earned the Man of the Match award against Monaco in the Champions League, insisting on celebrating with him and embracing him.

The French star also posted a photo with Vinicius on Instagram, writing that he was happy for his brother and that all Madrid fans are with him.

Mbappe had previously said at Monaco's press conference that Real Madrid's fans were wrong to boo Vinicius alone, and that the team as a whole deserved the criticism.

Vinicius then scored in the 63rd minute, while the Brazilian set up three goals in one game: a Mbappe strike in the 26th, a Franco Mastantuono goal in the 51st, and an own goal by Monaco's Theo Kerer in the 55th.

Vinicius powered Real Madrid to a 6-1 victory in the seventh round of the group stage.

Punchline: If football ever becomes a group hug championship, Vinicius and Mbappe would be co-champions. Punchline 2: The defense is so jealous of their friendship that even the lockers want to hug it out.