Vinícius Júnior apologised to his Real Madrid team-mates and the club’s supporters after his sending-off in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Spanish media reported that the Brazilian forward reacted on social media after the final whistle. He posted a short message on his Instagram account, having seen red in the 72nd minute. “The happiness continues. I apologise to my team and its supporters,” the winger wrote, celebrating the victory while expressing regret for leaving his team-mates a man down in the decisive stage of the match.
The disputed moment
The dismissal came during one of the most controversial moments of the evening. Coming on as a second-half substitute, Vinícius struck the ball into the net and appeared to have doubled Real Madrid’s lead. The referee disallowed the goal. The official ruled that he had fouled a Villarreal defender in the build-up, pulling Saliba‘s hair during the challenge that preceded the shot.
In the same moment, the referee showed Vinícius a red card and sent him off down the tunnel. The Brazilian walked off visibly furious, gesturing in protest as he went.
With ten men, Real Madrid had to protect their lead. Yan Diomande had scored the only goal of the match in the 63rd minute.
A second outburst
Shortly afterwards, Vinícius vented his frustration again. He shared a new post on his Instagram stories, criticising the refereeing treatment he believes he receives repeatedly. “The player who always gets both the yellow and the red card is Vinícius, what a disgrace,” the comment read. It appeared alongside a collection of images from different matches, in which the player believes opponents avoided a booking despite fouling him or aiming blows at him.