Vinicius Jr blames 'crazy calendar' for muscle injury as Real Madrid star is ruled out for weeks

Madrid confirmed Vinicius suffered a muscular injury to his thigh and is set to miss close to three weeks of action and will be unavailable for Los Blancos' crucial Champions League clash against Liverpool at Anfield this week. The Brazilian has now blamed his injury on the packed football schedule which has received criticism from a number of players this season including his Los Blancos team-mate Dani Carvajal and Ballon d'Or rival Rodri.

On X, Vinicius responded to Real Madrid's injury announcement, saying: "The crazy calendar... Time to recover!"

The injury could see Kylian Mbappe moved to his preferred position on the left of the attack, something he has been unable to do due to the Brazilian's hold on the role at Santiago Bernabeu. It is possible that Jude Bellingham may also be pushed back into the false nine role he held last season when Madrid travel to Anfield on Wednesday.

It has been mentioned that Vinicius will be out of action for three weeks and could potentially miss Madrid's Intercontinental Cup final on December 18. His recovery will determine whether he will be able to return before the end of the calendar year.