Two years ago, Vinicius Junior was at the top of the world. He has established himself as one of the best players in European football, scoring 24 goals and 11 assists in 39 games during the 2023/24 season and leading Real Madrid to the LaLiga and UEFA Champions League titles. It seemed natural that the Brazilian striker would be awarded the 2024 Ballon d’Or; instead, Manchester City’s Rodri threw a tantrum and demanded the trophy.
While Rodri hasn’t been the same since, falling victim to a series of injuries, Vinicius hasn’t recovered either. The trauma of missing out on the prize, combined with a relinquishment of the limelight to up-and-coming striker Kylian Mbappe, forced him back. He is no longer a character – while Mbappe played Spanish football in 2025, Vinicius scored just 22 goals and 19 assists in 58 games during the 2024/25 season. It wasn’t long ago that pundits were like that Martin Tyler they began to wonder what happened to him.
It has been worse this season, with Vinicius totaling just six goals and eight assists in 27 games. In fact, Vinicius’ most memorable moment of the campaign wasn’t the incredible goal or performance per se; instead, he was the one walking off the field during Real Madrid’s win over Barcelona earlier in the season. And although Vinicius would later apologize for his antics, he did not include manager Xabi Alonso in his apology.
“Vinicius has a lot to learn,” said former Brazil international Carlos Alberto Pintinho in an exclusive interview with Football España. “There was a time when I gave my opinion about it, I was very critical of him, which caused a big problem. I think he should focus on playing football and stop the trivial things. At that time I was criticized for my opinion, but now, people say to me, ‘He is right. He is a good footballer, he must stop this nonsense and play good football every game, he cannot continue to do trivial things that do not pay off. I know that my comment reached him, when I was interviewed by Cadena SER, I know that he listened to my comment ‘Stick to playing football and stop that nonsense.’ I think he has improved a bit, but he still has a lot to improve. I have nothing against Vinicius; he has his own way, but he does things that no one should do.”
Perhaps one of the biggest reasons for Vinicius’ run of form is his contract status. The Brazilian wants a salary equal to that of Mbappe, and it is clear that Real Madrid are not willing to give him that kind of money. With a contract until 2027, he realizes that his time at Real may be over. But if Vinicius can’t turn that around, he may not just end his Real Madrid career – but his entire career in Europe’s top five leagues.
Against Barcelona in Sunday’s Supercopa de Espana final, Vinicius finally delivered a performance that reminded people why he was in the Ballon d’Or conversation in the first place. Receiving the ball on the halfway line, Vinicius squared up against Jules Kounde and passed the French defender, before allowing Kounde and Pedri to create space and score twice. Showing no signs of mercy, he then rounded Kounde, opened up a shooting angle, and fired the ball into the right corner.
With Mbappe not available, Vinicius stepped up and made a surprise, shot 5 (4 on target), completed 4/8 dribbles, won 5/10 low Dules, and became the joint goal scorer of Real Madrid of all time in the final: unlike Karim Benzema and Cristiano 1 and Cristiano 1 in 629 goals and registered 1 629 goals and they registered 1,629 goals. respectively, Vinicius needed only 15 games to get 16 points in a season.
Vinicius may not be as clinical as Mbappe, but he is clearly still a star (at least if he wants to be). He is on a different level to the likes of Rodrygo Goes, Arda Guler, Franco Mastantuono and Brahim Diaz – he is a player who can take the game at a moment’s notice and pride himself against the biggest teams in the world. The question for Real Madrid is threefold: can Vinicius’ 10/10 performances surpass his 5/10 performances? Can Vinicius shake off his melodramatic antics and find workplace chemistry? And can Real Madrid and Vinícius find a wage deal that works for everyone?
If the answer is no, then Vinicius could find himself playing in Saudi Arabia again next season – only this time, for the entire season.
