Vinicius sat out the 2-1 win over Barcelona on 25 October, serving a domestic ban that runs until 21 November. The Clasico lineup without him worked. Yan Diomande, the 19-year-old Ivorian signed from RB Leipzig in the summer, started on the left and kept his place.

Then came the radio verdict. On Spanish station Cadena SER, former Real Madrid defender Rafael Alkorta made the kind of call that only sounds easy on the radio.

“The starting line-up that played against Barcelona is the line-up for the big matches. There is no doubt about it, Vinicius should sit on the substitutes’ bench,” Alkorta told Cadena SER.

He called Diomande “an exceptional player who contributes defensively and offensively.”

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A 2032 deal and a new system

Vinicius signed his contract extension on 6 August, tying him to Real Madrid until June 30, 2032, after months of speculation linking him with Arsenal.

Real Madrid, in their statement, described him as “one of the most important players during one of the most successful periods in our history.”

Since then the on-pitch picture has shifted. Jose Mourinho took the Real Madrid job for the 2026-27 season and built a system in which the squad players around Vinicius have grown into the shape faster than the superstar himself.

The dribble that did not come

The clearest symptom arrived in the 21 October Champions League win over RB Leipzig. Across that game and the one before, Vinicius did not attempt a single dribble, two consecutive matches without a dribble attempt, according to Opta data.

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In the previous 309 competitive appearances of his Real Madrid career, that had happened only three times in total.

Mourinho took him off before the end against Leipzig and was then asked whether the decision carried a message.

“I did not substitute Vinicius Junior because I was unhappy, but because I have a strong bench and we needed fresh energy,” Mourinho told reporters.

“If Vinicius Junior is sad, that is a personal matter.”

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The Portuguese coach said he remained “pleased with his performance” and that expectations of a player of Vinicius’s stature had “always been high”.

Athens is the first test

Vinicius’s Spanish FA ban only covers domestic matches, which is why he missed the Clasico but is available in Europe. In the same press conference Mourinho confirmed Vinicius would start the Matchday 4 trip to AEK Athens on Wednesday 4 November.

Diomande, who scored on his third European appearance against his former club RB Leipzig, described the right-footed volley as the kind that comes from a one-touch gamble.

“I’m going to try it, one touch and boom. It’s not easy, of course it isn’t… but Brahim passed me the ball, and I said, ‘Let’s give it a try,’” the Ivorian told the club.

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Diomande travels to Athens with the squad. Vinicius has been told he will start.

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