Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr banned for four games and will miss El Clasico vs. Barcelona

The Brazilian winger was sent off during the last home game against Villarreal after pulling Nathan Saliba's hair before scoring

Oct 14, 2026 at 2:54 pm ET • 1 min read

Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. will miss El Clasico against FC Barcelona on Oct. 25 after being suspended for four games for the red card he received in Real Madrid's last home game, against Villarreal at the Bernabeu. The Brazilian forward came on in the 52nd minute and was sent off 20 minutes later. Vinicius Jr. thought he had scored, and Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho celebrated alongside his team and ran over to him a few seconds before VAR ruled out the goal and sent him off. The VAR check showed Vinicius Jr. had pulled Nathan Saliba's hair before scoring.

The Spanish Football Federation's rules state that pulling an opponent's hair is violent conduct, and Vinicius was suspended for the upcoming four Real Madrid matches against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander and Valencia. The federation's competition committee gave Vinicius a two-game ban for "violent conduct, without the possibility of playing the ball" and two additional games "for arguing with the referee with an aggressive attitude and having to be restrained by his teammates."

Mourinho, who skipped Saturday's post-match press conference after the episode, spoke ahead of the Champions League match against AS Roma on Wednesday and said, "After the previous match against Atletico Madrid in which Vinicius started, I decided to take a different approach and to protect him a little and then bring him on when the game called for a player like Vini. I think that worked out well: the stadium, which had sometimes voiced disapproval, immediately rallied behind him the moment he started warming up. I believe that was a crucial turning point for him. He came on and played very well, the goal and the sending off were a shame, of course, but it seemed like something clicked for him, reigniting that joy and reminding him of the kind of player he truly is."

The ban applies only to domestic competitions, so Vinicius will be able to play against AS Roma on Wednesday, then against RB Leipzig and on Nov. 4 against AEK Athens. He will be eligible to play in LaLiga again only after the November international break, when Real Madrid meet Celta Vigo on Nov. 22.