“These matches are bad news for Vinicius, who will have to win back the place his teammates have now taken from him.” That was Jorge Valdano speaking to Estadio Deportivo, and it frames the debate around Vinícius Júnior at Real Madrid in a way that would have felt unthinkable not long ago. With Real Madrid winning and competition for places tightening, his starting spot is no longer being treated as automatic.

The warning around his place

Valdano’s line sits alongside a broader critique. He also said the winger “looked shy in the first matches” before adding that he has been gaining confidence. Those are not the words of someone writing him off entirely, but they do show how quickly the conversation has shifted from ceiling to selection.

Lothar Matthaus went further. Speaking to madriduniversal.com, he said: “The problem at Real Madrid is Vinicius Junior. When he isn’t there, the team functions better. They are more disciplined, everyone supports each other, and they are united.” Matthaus also said: “With him, there is an enormous ego, and his entire body language damages the team and the club.”

The numbers behind the dip

The caution from those voices is backed by a real drop in output. Vinicius has 1 goal and 3 assists in 11 official matches this season, and he has played 801 minutes. In the league, he is on 0.15 goals per 90 minutes, a long way from the 0.67 he was posting in 2023/24 and at the start of the following season.

He is still waiting for his first Champions League goal this season, which only adds to the sense that his end product has gone quiet. A player of his status does not need to dominate every week, but these are the kind of numbers that invite selection questions at a club that can win without leaning on him every match.

Valdano’s warning feels fairer than Matthaus’s attack on the body language, but both land on the same point: Vinicius is not in the untouchable bracket right now. Yan Diomande has also added pressure on the wider attacking picture with 3 league goals and 2 assists this season, and that kind of competition makes every poor run harder to ignore.

Real Madrid are next in the Champions League against AEK Athens FC, then Valencia and Celta Vigo. If Vinicius wants to quiet the noise, those are the games where he has to start doing the work again.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →