Vinicius Jr. stages anti-Nike protest with dramatic shirt change as Cristiano Ronaldo problem repeats

VINICIUS JUNIOR let his shoes do the talking as he stepped up his protests against Nike.

The Real Madrid superstar relived memories of difficult moments for Cristiano Ronaldo’s Nike deal – by switching boots against Valencia.

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The Brazilian winger played a goalless first half in black boots.

He then shone in a white pair adorned with his sponsors as he scored a stylish clincher in a 2-0 LaLiga win.

The 22-year-old is fighting to end a ten-year deal with Nike.

But there is no clause that allows the deal to end early, which puts the player and the brand at odds.

So his actions on Thursday appear to be a radical escalation of his battle with the American sportswear giant.

True legend Ronaldo, now with Al-Nassr, is Nike’s most recognizable name.

But the company caused controversy by cutting out an adidas logo and replacing it with a Nike swoosh in an ad featuring Ronaldo as a boy.

And the former Manchester United frontman, 37, also defended son Cristiano Jr. against trolls who slammed the boy for wearing both Nike and adidas in the same picture.

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Vinicius has also had a long association with Nike, first as a Flamengo prodigy in 2013.

But at least his two-pair protest coincided with Real coming to life.

Marco Asensio blasted a glorious opener into the top corner and moments later Vinicius passed a defender to score a clinical second goal.

The win puts Carlo Ancelotti’s men five points behind Barcelona and six ahead of third-placed Real Sociedad.