Vinicius Junior will watch Real Madrid’s trip to Barcelona from somewhere other than the pitch. Spain’s football federation handed the Brazilian a four-match La Liga ban after his dismissal in the 1-0 win over Villarreal on October 10, closing off El Clasico on October 25.
The red card came in the 72nd minute at the Bernabeu. Vinicius celebrated what looked like Real Madrid’s second goal, then watched VAR pull it back for pulling the hair of Villarreal midfielder Nathan Saliba in the build-up. He charged at the referee and was restrained by teammates.
Two matches on the ban cover the off-ball incident, two more cover his reaction. The suspension rules him out of Sevilla on October 18, Barcelona on October 25, Racing Santander on November 1 and Valencia on November 7. He is set to return in La Liga against Celta Vigo on November 22, and remains available for Real Madrid’s Champions League fixtures.
Real Madrid’s initial challenge at the RFEF disciplinary committee was rejected, and the club is preparing a second appeal. For now the ban stands.
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The clone theory, and the “evidence”
In the weeks before the red card, a stranger story was spreading in Brazil. Posts on TikTok and X claimed that the “real” Vinicius had been replaced by a lookalike after Brazil’s World Cup exit in July, with the forward variously said to be dead, hiding on a Bahamas resort, or, in the wilder versions, abducted.
Believers point to a chin procedure Vinicius underwent in July to redefine his jawline, a thigh tattoo that looks different in photos from Brazil’s September friendly against Australia, and what fans call muscle loss. Elaborated strands bring in the CIA, the Rothschilds and, in one version, reptilian aliens.
Real Madrid and the people around the player have not engaged publicly with any of it.
24 shots, one goal, 25 per cent accuracy
What has given the theory oxygen is a slump that is real and measurable. Vinicius has one goal in ten appearances this season, in a 4-1 La Liga win over Real Sociedad on August 26, and nothing since. His shot accuracy stands at 25 per cent, six of 24, the lowest figure of his career. His big-chance conversion sits at 16.7 per cent.
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The chin procedure is documented. The tattoos look different because they are photographed in different light, from different angles, in different kits. None of that has slowed the posts.
“Vini always comes back”
The player himself has not pretended otherwise. After Real Madrid’s 4-3 Champions League comeback win over Roma, in which he was substituted off, Vinicius told reporters he was angry with himself.
“I’m angry with myself for not being at my best. In the end, Vini always comes back and I have no doubt that I will.”
He also addressed the Bernabeu boos directed at him.
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“The boos certainly don’t help me, but people pay for their tickets. I think it’s easier to boo me because I’ve been here longer and I’m one of the captains.”
Real Madrid’s next La Liga match without him is at home to Sevilla on October 18.
