Vinicius suspended for four LaLiga matches, will miss El Clasico after red card at Bernabeu

Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior will miss the El Clasico after being handed a four-match suspension for a red card he received during Real Madrid’s LaLiga 2026-27 match against Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.

Vinicius came on as a second-half substitute and initially thought he had scored what would have been Madrid’s second goal, but VAR alerted referee Isidro Díaz de Mera to an incident during the build-up. Video review showed Vinicius pulling the hair of Villarreal defender Nathan Saliba, the goal was disallowed and the Madrid player was sent off. The Madrid No. 7 has apologised to the fans for his actions, and Madrid were left to defend a 1-0 lead with 10 men before securing a narrow victory.

The Royal Spanish Football Federation’s disciplinary committee confirmed the suspension on Wednesday, imposing a two-match ban for violent conduct and an additional two-match ban for his reaction to the referee’s decision. The committee stated the first two-match suspension was for “violent conduct, without the possibility of playing the ball” and the second for his reaction “with an aggressive attitude and having to be restrained by his teammates.”

As a result of the ruling, Vinicius will miss four LaLiga games, including the Barcelona fixture. The four domestic opponents he will be unavailable for are Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing and Valencia.

The suspension applies to domestic competition only; Vinicius started Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League match against AS Roma and will be available for upcoming European fixtures. He is eligible for Real Madrid’s Champions League ties against RB Leipzig and AEK Athens.

The Madrid No. 7 has scored once and registered three assists across all competitions this season.

The ban therefore rules Vinicius out of Real Madrid’s LaLiga meetings with Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing and Valencia while he remains eligible for the club’s Champions League fixtures against RB Leipzig and AEK Athens.