How Suspended Vinicius Jr Reacted to Real Madrid’s Clasico Win
Real Madrid’s Vinícius Jr was with his teammates in spirit as they stunned Barcelona to win 2–1 at the Camp Nou on Sunday, taking to social media after the match to post his reaction to the shock result.
The Brazilian did not travel with the team to Catalonia at the weekend, as he is unable to feature in La Liga for Madrid until Nov. 21 after seeing red in the 1–0 win over Villarreal last month.
In what was the nadir of a poor start to the season for the star winger, he was sent off after a VAR review for pulling the hair of Nathan Saliba in the buildup to his subsequently disallowed goal.
The foul and Vinícius’ aggressive remonstrations with the referee earned him a four-match ban, forcing José Mourinho change up his attack.
The 2024 Ballon d’Or runner up has not been missed in Madrid’s last two outings, with Los Blancos seeing off Sevilla 4–1 last weekend, before the Clásico triumph on Sunday.
Vinícius Jr Still Smiling
Despite missing out on the fun, Vinícius Jr is still, apparently, enjoying the success and posted an image of the night’s scoreline alongside four laughing emojis to his Instagram story.
Vinícius will miss Madrid’s next outing away at Racing Santander on Sunday, but can feature in the Champions League tie against AEK Athens on Nov. 4.
The final game of his ban follows shortly after when Madrid travel to Valencia on Nov. 7. He will be free to return to domestic action following the next international break.
Worrying Signs for Vinícius Jr
While Vinícius Jr reveled in Madrid’s surprise Clásico victory, he may secretly be concerned with how the team is clicking without him.
Prior to his sending off, the forward’s form had been the subject of much frustration at Madrid. He has scored just once in 2026–27—in the 4–1 win over Real Sociedad back in August.
Mourinho appears to have found a winning formula with his selection and started the Clásico with Arda Güler and summer signing Yan Diomande on the wings, a combination that provided pace, guile and results.
Güler has—Mbappé aside—been Los Blancos’ star performer this season and offers a level of creativity that few can match. Diomande, meanwhile, is hitting his straps after a relatively lowkey start. The 19-year-old now has six goal contributions in his last five matches.
In Diomande, Madrid have a superb ball-carrying outlet—no player completed more dribbles than his four on Sunday. The young winger’s confidence in possession comes in sharp contrast to Vinícius Jr who—according to Opta—hasn’t even attempted a dribble in his last two outings against Roma and RB Leipzig.
Vinícius Jr’s status at the club—and bumper contract extension—have created an awkward situation where he is hard to drop. However, Mourinho has been handed the perfect excuse to change a broken system with the suspension. It may be hard for the Brazilian to find his way back into this team, even when he is available again.
