Vinicius Junior is officially out for four games, including Real Madrid’s huge El Clasico showdown against Barcelona later this month, all thanks to a reckless red card in La Liga. This isn’t just any suspension, folks; it’s a gut punch right when the team needs him most, impacting some seriously critical matches.
The Hair-Pull Heard ‘Round La Liga
So, what happened? Real Madrid snatched a 1-0 victory against Villarreal on Saturday, and Vinicius actually thought he’d put them up 2-0 in the second half. But VAR, doing its thing, took a close look at the build-up. Turns out, earlier in the play, Vinicius was in his own half when he straight-up grabbed Nathan Saliba’s hair, pulling the Canadian down to the turf. Yep, a hair-pull! That goal got disallowed, and Vinicius got sent off. This isn’t a one-off either; it’s his third senior career red card playing for Real Madrid. You gotta wonder what’s going through his head in those moments.
Four Games, One Massive Absence
This wild move means Vinicius will be sidelined until November 22. That’s a brutal run of four games he’s missing. First up, Real is hosting Sevilla this Sunday. Then, they’ve got the mother of all matchups, heading to Barcelona on October 25 for the first Clasico of the season, a game he’ll miss as the second game of his suspension. After that, he’ll sit out away games against Racing Santander and Valencia. Unless that ban gets miraculously halved, there’s no way he’s playing against the Blaugranas. He’ll finally be back on the pitch for Real’s first game after the next international break: November 22 against Celta Vigo.
So, Real Madrid kicks off this tough stretch hosting Sevilla on Sunday, then heads to Barcelona on October 25 for that massive Clasico without their star. Vinicius won’t be back on the pitch until November 22 against Celta Vigo, after what feels like an eternity for the team.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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