Vinicius Junior is waiting to learn the length of his suspension after a straight red card against Villarreal on Saturday night. Off the pitch, the Real Madrid star's personal life has hit turbulence too.
What a weekend it was for the Brazilian. Just hours after that straight red in Real Madrid's 1-0 La Liga win over Villarreal, a decision that could rule him out of the Clasico against arch-rivals Barcelona on 25 October, the winger officially separated from his partner Virginia Fonseca, according to France's "RMC" network.
A statement to the Brazilian media from the press office of the influencer, who has 56 million Instagram followers, confirmed the split. "There was no dispute or argument", it said, just a "tacit agreement to end their relationship". Neither party has commented on the news so far.
Brazil and Spain have been talking about Vinicius and Fonseca since October 2025, and the relationship has lurched from one extreme to the other. They split publicly in May. By July they were back together.
Several public appearances followed, and in mid-September the pair were spotted holding hands at the Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix.
On the pitch, Vinicius is in the middle of a crisis of confidence. Benched for the first time this season on Saturday, he came on against Villarreal and went from hero to villain within seconds. He thought he had doubled the lead. Instead he walked, sent off for pulling the hair of Canada's Nathan Saliba at the start of the move (71st minute).
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho, furious at the referee's decision, cut short the post-match press conference.