Vinicius Júnior handed four-match ban, will miss El Clásico

Real Madrid's Brazilian forward Vinícius Júnior has been suspended for four matches. The disciplinary committee of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) announced on 14 October 2026 that it was punishing both his straight red card against Villarreal on 10 October and his protests to the referee afterwards. According to Sporx, Mundo Deportivo and Marca, Vinícius will miss El Clásico away at Barcelona on 25 October.

Why was Vinícius Júnior banned?

Vinícius Júnior was sent off for pulling the hair of Villarreal's Nathan Saliba. Sporx reports that a goal scored by Vinícius was ruled out after referee Isidro Díaz de Mera was called to the monitor by VAR, saw the hair pull on the replay and showed the Brazilian a straight red. Real Madrid still won 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabéu. ScoreLab data shows Vinícius was on the pitch for only 20 minutes.

According to Mundo Deportivo, the ban is made up of two parts: two games for violent conduct away from play, at a moment when the ball could not be contested, and two more for his protests towards the referee. The Barcelona-based daily adds that the first part came with an additional fine under Article 52 of the federation's disciplinary code. The referee's report, as relayed by Sporx, states that Vinícius reacted aggressively after the red card and had to be held back by teammates. In the same ruling, the yellow card shown to Real Madrid defender Ibrahima Konaté in that match was rescinded.

Sporx reports that Vinícius apologised on social media to his teammates and to Real Madrid supporters for leaving the side with ten men. None of the cited sources say whether the club will appeal the suspension.

Which games will Vinícius Júnior miss?

Vinícius Júnior will sit out Real Madrid's next four La Liga fixtures. The games named in the reports, with dates from the ScoreLab fixture list:

1. 18 October 2026 — Real Madrid vs Sevilla (Santiago Bernabéu)
2. 25 October 2026 — Barcelona vs Real Madrid (El Clásico)
3. 1 November 2026 — Racing Santander vs Real Madrid
4. 8 November 2026 — Valencia vs Real Madrid

All four games covered by the ban are in La Liga. Real Madrid's Champions League fixtures in the same period (RB Leipzig on 21 October and AEK Athens on 4 November) are not among the games listed by the sources. According to ScoreLab standings, Barcelona top La Liga with 24 points from 8 games, while Real Madrid are fourth on 18 points from 8, which makes the 25 October meeting important for the title race as well.

How has Vinícius Júnior's season gone?

Vinícius Júnior has scored less often this season than last. According to ScoreLab data, the 26-year-old has 1 goal and 3 assists in 8 La Liga games. His goals per 90 minutes have dropped from 0.51 last season to 0.15, while his assists per 90 have risen from 0.16 to 0.45. Vinícius has 147 goals in 458 club matches and 14 goals in 57 appearances for Brazil. He has won 2 Champions League titles and 3 La Liga titles with Real Madrid, and will only be available for European games until the ban is served.