I honestly don't think we could ever understand how Valentino Rossi affected Marc and his family. We often discuss the kick, the public humiliation... But most of the time other, more personal things, get relegated to something secondary. I mean, everyone knows reporters got into Marc childhood home but we as a community don't really seem to care enough about this. I'm writing something about this particular incident so It's baffling to me how this isn't talked enough; two guys from 'La Lene' break into his home (with his father, mother, brother) to record him and to give him a plastic cock trophy???? And then complain when Julia broke their camaras-??. Or the fake tomb thing in 2018?? If you go to Marc's twitter from 2015 many Italians comments are calling him Lorenzo's bitch. He was 22.
It's crazy how that's not even the surface of what Marc's had to suffer. So, I don't think Marc should forgive Valentino that easily, MAYBE, in the past, before the injury and all the pondering that came alongside that, he would have. I don't think that's the case anymore.
Anon you are absolutely right. We often only make allusion to the kick, and what happened at the races, but that's only scratching the surface of fucked up things that happened. I met so many people who thought all of this was nothing but "jokes", it's actually baffling.
I'm actually going to join you with a little educative essay of my own, because I do agree that it's often ignored, or ppl simply do not know about it.
And slight trigger warning for sensitive content, none of this is pretty.
I don't think we will ever manage to fully understand the psychological damage caused by Valentino and his fans to Marc and his family. We can be aware of it, we can understand it, but we'll never come close to the feeling of actually living through it. The point stands that what happens on track should stay on track and in the paddock. This went way too far, and this entire thing is quite honestly one of the most horrifying unsportmanlike behavior i ever had the misfortune of witnessing in my decade of sport watching.
Valentino, in his refusal to condemn anything his fans were doing, actually gave the the green light to basically do whatever they wanted. I have heard many people say "but even if he spoke up against it, they are crazy fans so they wouldn't listen"
You would be surprised at how much fanatics can hang onto the every words of their idols. We have seen a big chunk of the hate against Bez calm down once Marc spoke up about it. Perhaps not all of it, but it helped. The fact remains that he did not do anything to stop them, there is no defending that. He was fully aware of it; the articles were everywhere back then. This helped create a unhealthy climate in the sport and there is no excusing that.
In Mugello 2016, the heart of Italy, some fans hung a mannequin wearing a 93 jersey and lit it on fire. There is still a video of this on YouTube to this day.
People joke that some of Valentino's fans are like a cult, but there is some truth to it. The saying "God forgives, Mugello doesn't" legitimately fills me with horror every time I hear it. These are people who see Valentino as...almost a deity. This amount of worship is never healthy in sport, and again, Valentino was fully aware of what some of his fans were like.
And then we can mention that they burned a coffin too, and the makeshift grave of course. With his name and his birthdate. The date of death coincides with the upcoming sunday race. Did you know that the people who did this put a cup beside the grave, which had for purpose to collect money? A "make a wish" cup for people to wish on his death. And let's just say that it was not empty.
The pig's head in HRC hospitality, a clear death treath in plain sight in the middle of the paddock. Spanish riders had to be given extra security, and the organizers started considering tightening the video surveillance. These fans were also ruining the image of the sport, and of the Italian races.
Then we get to Le Lene, a group of italian "journalists" who broke into Marc's house with camera and clearly nothing but bad intentions. Things got violent after they refused to leave, and Marc apparently suffered scratches on his neck after the whole thing.
Let me reiterate. Marc was 22. Yes, he was VERY well PR trained and knew exactly how to handle himself in public and not make things worse. And thank god for that tbh. Valentino was his idol 14 years his senior. After 2015, he stopped using social media as much due to the sheer negativity in there, which good for him because that's hard on anyone's mental health. He was sent death threats, mailed death threath, and people came knocking on his door with bad intentions. He was called a slut and most probably every variation of the word, and there is probably a LOT of things that we are still not aware of to this day. How much of it went under the covers, I wonder.
"This could have been avoided". There is no forgiving this, there isn't even any explaining this, or rationalizing this. Valentino isn't the first man who suffered an "injustice" he isn't an isolated case. The way he reacted afterward says a lot about him. Just him saying "i wanted to kill him" in that recent sepang documentary is absolutely mad. I can't even believe it. How much of that can you really blame on adrenaline and move on, I wonder. Some people will say "But Marc wasn't innocent". Marc raced hard and he was a little shit, yes. That does NOT excuse everything that followed. "He deserved it" no he did not. Not even Valentino himself deserves to go through something like that, no one does, and I think that's what people are not understanding. Some were criminal actions, this. Is. Serious.
Even to this day, I think some people fail to realise how bad it was, or told themselves it must have been exaggerated as they were not constantly living in it. We saw that in 2025, with Marc joining Ducati. In Mugello he got booed, as per atp, yet he said it was one of his best year at the circuit. Despite that, the entire team was outraged. Perhaps they thought that Italian fans cared more about Ducati than their hatred for Marc. But again. "God forgives, Mugello doesn't"
"È rosso" but they do not care that he is. No matter the leathers, that is Marc Márquez, and nothing he can do and no team he can join will change the "crimes" he committed.
It's heartbreaking, how much he had to deal with since he was 22. He grew up with that negativity around him and shaped himself to counter it. His insane PR is there for a reason, he's had the most practice out of everyone. No one should have to go through that, and I'll forever be grateful that Marc just so happened to be a bit insane already and knew how to handle himself and fight back against some of it. Pros of being a little crazy too sksksksks
And then you as an individual are aware of all of this, of all that happened, even if it's probably not even half of the things that unfolded.
Then someone tells you, "Marc would/should forgive Valentino"
Forgive.
I wholly and fully believe they can, and probably will be cordial with one another if they meet at legend dinners or at whatever event. At the end of the day, they're grown ass men who know how to act in public.
But forgiving Valentino? No, I don't think so. Marc's family suffered, he suffered psychologically and even physically, it was horrible and Valentino didn't say anything about it. Marc was miserable because of him and his fans, and he did not seem to care at all.
Now you are Marc Márquez, you are 33 years old, got over an injury and are a nine time world champion. You've quite literally moved on from all of this.
You do not want to be affiliated with Valentino anymore, you are your own person, and that man has rejected any offer of peace you have given him.
No, you will not forgive him. Even better, you do not care about him amymore. You are so fucking over everything that you just want people to stop talking about it. You did your documentary adressing some of it, you called it out for what it was, and now you're done.
Marc Márquez doesn't want anything to do with Valentino Rossi anymore. He knows their names will always be tied together, but apart from that, he's done.
He's done.
Do I believe he will forgive Valentino? He might say he does for PR, but no, I don't think so. He's being very mature about it actually. No apparent resentment or anything. But again, Marc has always been good at this; he's not helpless and he knows how to take care of himself. Now it's just about looking forward to finish his career the best way possible :)
I feel like i could have perhaps worded all of this better, but I suppose it will do, thank you for coming to my informative tedtalk
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