Vinicius apologises after red card and faces possible ban ahead of El Clasico

Vinicius Junior apologised to teammates and Real Madrid supporters after receiving a straight red card that marred his side’s 1-0 LaLiga victory over Villarreal on Saturday, and the dismissal has left him awaiting a disciplinary decision that could see him miss the El Clasico on October 25.

Vinicius was introduced off the bench in the 52nd minute and believed he had doubled Madrid’s lead following Yan Diomande’s opener, but VAR adjudged he had pulled Nathan Saliba’s hair during the build-up; referee Isidro Diaz de Mera disallowed the goal and issued a straight red card.

“The joy continues... Sorry to my team and the fans,” Vinicius wrote on Instagram after the match. He later reposted a fan account montage of challenges against him and complained about being repeatedly booked, actions that the club apology did not end the controversy.

The dismissal arrives amid a downturn in club form: Jose Mourinho left Vinicius out of his starting XI against Villarreal for the first time this season, he has been substituted increasingly early in recent matches, and he has scored only one goal in nine appearances across competitions.

Those difficulties have extended to international duty. Vinicius converted a penalty in Brazil’s 4-2 win over Australia and said, “I played several matches without scoring any goal with the national team, and I felt the importance of returning to scoring,” but he struggled to make a decisive impact in Brazil’s 4-0 victory over India in Kolkata, with India’s high defensive line repeatedly catching him offside and limiting the space he needs.

Under Spanish football rules hair-pulling is classified as violent conduct and can carry a suspension of one to three matches when no injury is caused; that framework places Vinicius at risk of missing the October 25 clash at Camp Nou, though any sanction will be determined by the disciplinary committee.

For Real Madrid, the potential absence of Vinicius would be a major setback. The immediate issue for the player is the outcome of the disciplinary process, while his broader challenge is to regain the scoring rhythm and confidence noted as lacking in recent appearances.