It hasn’t been Vinicius Junior’s season so far. Now the Brazilian has suffered another setback: following his bizarre red card against Villarreal, he has been sidelined for an extended period. As a result, he will also miss the upcoming El Clásico.
It was an emotional rollercoaster that Vinicius Junior went through at the weekend during the 1–0 win against Villarreal. First, there was exuberant celebration when he scored what was thought to be the second goal, but then everything took a different turn. Following a VAR review, the striker was caught pulling opponent Nathan Saliba’s hair as the goal was being scored.
Instead of celebration, he was sent off – and a Vinicius Junior who refused to accept it lost his temper and ranted furiously on the pitch. Great frustration erupted and Antonio Rüdiger had to step in to prevent his team-mate from confronting the referee.
Harsh punishment
Now came the punishment – and it’s a hefty one. For pulling the referee’s hair, the 26-year-old must sit out two matches; two more were added on top of that because of the way he had confronted referee Isidro Diaz de Mera. The referee had noted an “aggressive attitude” in Vinicius Junior’s reaction in his match report. The Spanish Football Federation concurred.
It remains to be seen whether the four-match ban will stand, as Real Madrid have already announced they will appeal. Should the punishment stand, however, manager José Mourinho will have to do without the Brazilian striker for the league matches against Sevilla, Racing Santander, Valencia and, most importantly, on 25 October in the first Clásico of the season against arch-rivals Barcelona.
Although Vinicius Junior apologised via Instagram following his outburst, he also played the victim. He posted several clips from other matches to highlight fouls that went unpunished – claiming that he was the only one who “always gets booked and sent off. “A disgrace.”
The suspension hits Vinicius Junior hard, as he is going through a very difficult spell. So far this season, he has managed just one goal and three assists in nine competitive matches – which is why even Real fans have been booing him.