The first El Clásico of the season is the headline fixture of the weekend as Real Madrid visit Barcelona at Camp Nou on Sunday. But Los Blancos will travel to Catalonia without one of the biggest difference-makers in the modern history of the rivalry: Vinícius Júnior.
Vinícius Jr was handed a four-match ban after getting sent off for pulling the hair of Villarreal midfielder Nathan Saliba a fortnight ago. In a matter of seconds, the Brazilian went from scoring a goal to seeing a straight red which resulted in an automatic two-match suspension before an additional two games were added to his ban due to his “aggressive” reaction.
The star winger already missed Real Madrid’s 4–1 thumping of Sevilla last time out in La Liga, but now he’ll have to watch from home as Los Blancos face league leaders Barcelona in Sunday’s Clásico.
Vinícius Jr had featured in Real Madrid’s most recent 21 matches against Barcelona, including the last 13 in La Liga. The first Clásico of 2026–27 will be the first the Brazilian misses since the turn of the decade, and given his record against Barça, his absence is significant.
Vinícius Júnior’s El Clásico Career Stats
- Appearances: 24
- Record: 11W, 12L, 1D
- Goals: 8
- Assists: 7
Few players have been as decisive in El Clásico’s recent history as Vinícius Jr. Plus, his personality has also contributed to the theatrics of a rivalry that oozes drama and controversy. There’s no denying the Brazilian is one of the faces of El Clásico’s modern era and that, despite his recent struggles, he remains an integral part of Real Madrid’s current side.
His absence on Sunday will be sorely felt, especially considering you have to go all the way back to his first 18 months at the club to find the only two El Clásico’s he’s missed since he joined Real Madrid.
The Two El Clásico’s Vinícius Júnior Has Missed for Real Madrid
Barcelona 5–1 Real Madrid (October 2018)
Real Madrid Starting XI: Courtois; Nacho, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Kroos, Casemiro, Modrić; Bale, Benzema, Isco (Subs: Vázquez, Asensio, Mariano)
Barcelona Starting XI: Ter Stegen; Roberto, Piqué, Lenglet, Alba; Rakitić, Busquets, Arthur; Rafinha, Suárez, Coutinho (Subs: Semedo, Dembélé, Vidal)
Almost exactly one month after Vinícius Jr made his Real Madrid debut, he wasn’t even part of then manager Julen Lopetegui’s squad for the first El Clásico of the 2018–19 season in which Los Blancos were destroyed 5–1 by their bitter rivals.
Without an injured Lionel Messi, it was Luis Suárez who commanded Barcelona’s victory with the first and only hat trick of his Clásico career. Philippe Coutinho opened the scoring for the Catalans and Arturo Vidal completed Los Blancos’ humbling with a late fifth, even after Marcelo had bagged the consolation goal earlier in the second half.
The first Clásico of the post-Cristiano Ronaldo era was an utter embarrassment for Real Madrid, and Lopetegui was fired a day after the catastrophic defeat.
Vinícius was 18 when the match took place, and he’d go on to make his El Clásico debut the following February in the 1–1 draw at Camp Nou in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal.
Barcelona 0–0 Real Madrid (December 2019)
Real Madrid Starting XI: Courtois; Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Mendy; Valverde, Casemiro, Kroos; Bale, Benzema, Isco (Subs: Modrić, Rodrygo)
Barcelona Starting XI: Ter Stegen; Semedo, Piqué, Lenglet, Alba; Roberto, Rakitić, De Jong; Messi, Suárez, Griezmann (Subs: Vidal, Fati)
The last Vinícius Jr–less El Clásico came in December 2019. Unlike a year prior, then manager Zinédine Zidane did include the Brazilian in the squad that traveled to Camp Nou for the first Clásico of the season, but the teenager was an unused substitute in a rare 0–0 draw between the rivals.
Despite a wealth of attacking talent on the pitch such as Barcelona’s newly formed trio of Messi, Suárez and Antoine Griezmann, plus Los Blancos’ front three of Gareth Bale, Isco and Karim Benzema, the scoreless draw saw a combined six attempts on goal between the two teams.
Interestingly, Real Madrid and Barcelona’s current captains, Federico Valverde and Frenkie de Jong, featured for the first time in a league Clásico in the scoreless draw.
The final Clásico of the 2010s was hardly a memorable one. It remains the last game of the rivalry that ended in a scoreless draw, and it’s also the last Clásico in which Vinícius Jr failed to feature until Sunday’s upcoming clash.
Add us as a preferred source on Google