Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior had an afternoon to forget against Barcelona during El Clasico, and even after he came off, things did not get much better for the Brazilian. As he limped to the bench, Vinicius got into it with a Barcelona fan.
Ig story Fort. pic.twitter.com/LObEGgXzp1
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) May 11, 2025
Vinicius came off with just seven minutes to go in the tie, having provided a fine assist to Kylian Mbappe. However he struggled to get into the game after the hoping quarter of an hour, and in the second half, could not make the most of several promising counter-attacks.
Vinicius fired up by Barcelona fan
Behind the Real Madrid bench, a Barcelona fan could be seen toting a beach ball at Vinicius, the common provocation around La Liga these days for Brazilian. After Vinicius missed out on the Ballon d’Or, opposition fans have taken to chanting ‘Vinicius, beach ball’ at him.
El pique de Vinicius con un aficionado. #DeportePlus pic.twitter.com/HYQJL2oTtu
— Fútbol en Movistar Plus+ (@MovistarFutbol) May 11, 2025
Beyond the merits of that tradition, a frustrated Vinicius reacted, seeming to shout a response to the fan, seen pointing and angry.
Mirad como se pone el llorón 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/Jx1hBI4oeV
— Barcelonismos (@Barcelonismos) May 11, 2025
Controversial substitution
There was some consternation among Madridistas over Vinicius’ exit from the pitch. Initially Vinicius appeared to request a substitution, and Carlo Ancelotti subsequently sent Endrick Felipe out to warm up. Afterwards Vinicius decided he was OK to play on, before again calling for the change.
It would be youngster Victor Munoz who replaced him, and had a golden chance to equalise, with Rodrygo Goes remaining on the bench. He reportedly had told Ancelotti he did not feel in the right place to play.
Ankle injury for Vinicius
It is not yet clear how much he will be affected by the twisted ankle he suffered. Los Blancos have three remaining games in the next two weeks with little on the line, before he goes off on Brazil duty to face Ecuador and Paraguay. That will likely be with Carlo Ancelotti too, and when he returns, he would then be under the orders of new manager Xabi Alonso. In five weeks’ time, Real Madrid will be in action in the Club World Cup.
