For a few seconds, everything felt right again. The Spanish newspapers would probably have hailed Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho on Sunday morning for getting a response from one of his superstars. The Special One had left Vinicius Junior on the bench for the first time this season in Saturday's 1-0 league win against FC Villarreal after several disappointing performances.
Mourinho's decision also reflected the demands of Vinicius Junior's travel with the Brazil national team during the recent international break. Even so, the headline seemed to write itself when the man in the number 7 shirt came off the bench and appeared to score a decisive second goal in the 71st minute.
The Bernabeu, so often critical of Vinicius, erupted when he finished ruthlessly from close range after excellent work by Jude Bellingham. Vinicius kissed the club badge on his shirt in typically sentimental Real fashion. Mourinho sprinted from his bench and reached his attacking magician surprisingly quickly, pulling him into a fervent embrace.
How much does Vinicius Junior earn at Real Madrid?
Vinicius needed that release after a poor start to the season and difficult, turbulent weeks since Brazil's disappointingly early World Cup exit against Norway in the round of 16 in early July. Rumours of a move from Madrid to Arsenal persisted for much of the summer. Only in early August did his future become clear: Vinicius was staying at Real, extending his contract until 2032 and now reportedly earning around €25 million a year.
Getty Images
Some fans have held the saga surrounding his contract extension, which lasted around a year and a half, against him. His failure to find his rhythm in 2026/27 has made him even more divisive among his own supporters. On top of that came turmoil in his private life: publicly aired speculation about his now-confirmed second split from former girlfriend Virginia Fonseca.
Then his name surfaced in bizarre conspiracy theories. In Brazilian internet forums and on TikTok, claims emerged in late September that the Real star had mysteriously disappeared after the World Cup and a lookalike had replaced him. Those entirely unfounded claims drew partly on cosmetic chin surgery Vinicius had undergone in July. Some of the people spreading them also claimed to have spotted differences in the 26-year-old's thigh tattoos during the Selecao's friendly against Australia in late September. They absurdly speculated that a lookalike, not Vinicius, was on the pitch.
Neither the player, Real nor the Brazilian federation responded officially. The critical, distressing and strange headlines of recent weeks are unlikely to have left Vinicius unaffected. When he appeared to score against Villarreal, his finish seemed to offer a turning point in his season.
Vinicius Junior: Another dramatic chapter instead of release
That feeling lasted exactly 114 seconds after the ball hit the net. Vinicius then saw a red card, his mouth wide open in disbelief. VAR had intervened, turning the apparent scorer of an important second goal into the player sent off. As Vinicius began his run towards the opposition goal in the build-up to the strike, he had pulled the hair of opponent Nathan Saliba, who was moving into his path, as the footage revealed. Referee Isidro Diaz de Mera Escuderos therefore disallowed the goal and showed Vinicius a red card.
A two-match ban followed for the incident on the pitch. Vinicius also angrily confronted the referee and shoved a LaLiga employee aside on his way to the dressing room, adding another two matches to his suspension. He will miss the next four league games, including the Clasico against arch-rivals Barcelona at the end of October.
Real were angry not only about the length of the ban but also about the timing of its announcement on Wednesday evening, shortly before their important Champions League match away to AS Roma. "They are doing this quite shamelessly now. The cat is out of the bag. Two hours before a match, a player has to find out that he has a four-match ban. Do you think that is normal?" an incensed Mourinho asked after his side's spectacular 4-3 win.
"They had all day to tell me about the ban. And just as I arrived at the stadium, I heard the news that I had been banned for four LaLiga matches," Vinicius himself complained after a game that seemed to sum up his current situation. His rather unremarkable performance took a marked turn for the worse when he tried to flick a pass from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois on with his heel, far too casually and carelessly. The ball went straight to Roma defender Evan Ndicka, setting up the goal that put the Italians 2-1 ahead.
Vinicius Junior's unfortunate role in Real Madrid's win in Rome
Just under ten minutes later, with Roma now 3-1 up, Mourinho took the probably rather irritated Vinicius off and sent on his compatriot Endrick. A goal and an assist from Endrick then helped Real turn the game around and win away from home without Vinicius.
Getty Images"I know I'm not in top form at the moment," Vinicius said self-critically after the final whistle. He has scored just one goal in ten appearances across all competitions this season, nearly two months ago in the 4-1 win over Real Sociedad on 26 August. Since the end of August, his only goal contribution has been an assist in the 4-1 win over Rayo Vallecano in mid-September.
"I've had worse spells. And even when people doubted me, I always stood up for this club," the forward told reporters late on Wednesday evening. His lengthy LaLiga ban leaves him only two chances to turn his form around before the next international break in November: the Champions League matches against RB Leipzig next week and away to AEK Athens in early November. Vinicius remains optimistic despite his poor form. "In the end, Vini always comes back," he stressed. "I have no doubt that I will find my best form again, score goals again and take the team back where it belongs."