Why Vinicius Jr wore completely blacked out boots in Real Madrid's win over Valencia

Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr wore completely blacked out boots in his side's 2-0 win over Valencia on Thursday night.

The Brazilian winger scored the second for Real, two minutes after Marco Asensio broke the deadlock at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Vinicius was also involved in the incident which saw compatriot Gabriel Paulista sent off for the visitors after he produced one of the most disgusting challenges of the season.

But the 22-year-old also hit headlines for his choice of footwear. His boots were entirely black and featured no logo, looking like the default cleats your player gets given on FIFA.

He did it for the first half of his 200th Real appearance and then changed to some more colourful boots for the second half, where he got his goal.

And the reason being stems for Vinicius ending a long partnership with Nike, his boot sponsors. The American sportswear giant first got involved with the player when he was making waves at Flamengo in 2013 and he signed another improved deal lasting until 2028 five years ago.

However, in December it was claimed that he instructed his lawyers to terminate the deal after becoming unhappy.

He was said to be furious that he has been omitted from some of Nike's big advertising campaigns and also felt his terms weren't reflective of his growing value.

There was no exit clause in the deal but The Athletic say Vini no longer has a boot sponsor, hence his blackout.

He had worn an old version of Nike's Mercurial boots during the World Cup in Qatar and put them back on for the second half.

Vinícius Jr. is wearing blacked-out boots after ending his 10-year partnership with Nike ⚫ pic.twitter.com/Rdki06RvuS

— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 2, 2023

Vini’s contract with Nike has expired,” an anonymous source close to Vinicius told The Athletic on Thursday evening.

“We are in no hurry to sign with another brand.

“The key for us is to find the right company that appreciates and believes in Vini and is willing to invest in his brand through campaigns and activation worldwide.”

The winger also has sponsorships deal with Pepsi, EA Sports, Vivo, Casas Bahia, BetNacional, OneFootball, JetEngage, Golden Concept and Royaltiz.