Real Madrid’s team bus left Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena following their Champions League elimination without Vinicius Junior in a move that could become symbolic ahead of the transfer window.
The Brazilian was stuck in doping control after the fixture, and a decision was taken that the squad should leave for the airport without him. It would have been a lonely experience for a player with much to brew upon following a difficult evening.
Los Blancos’ Champions League exit – 4-3 on the night, 6-4 on aggregate – brought with it the expectation that Alvaro Arbeloa’s time as head coach is short, while fresh doubt has been cast upon the future of Eduardo Camavinga following his foolish red card.
But away from the two obvious scapegoats, Vini Jr’s inability to decisively influence the encounter deserves to lead to fresh scrutiny over the Brazilian’s prospects of having his contract renewed.
Eclipsed by Mbappe
For more than a year now, the 25-year-old has been locked in a contract battle with Los Blancos. He has little more than 12 months left on his deal, and in the coming weeks a resolution must be found.
The Transfers Podcast exclusively revealed last year that the Real Madrid board were losing patience with Vini as he constantly sought a higher and higher wage. He wants parity with Kylian Mbappe, but he does not deserve it.
Mbappe may not have scored a Champions League semi-final or final goal since his Monaco days in 2017, but there is little doubt that he’s the more valuable commodity in Madrid right now.
Vini used to be Real Madrid’s Champions League talisman, but those days have gone. His status has diminished into the shadow of Mbappe, and his form has eroded. A return of 17 goals and 14 assists this season is far from disastrous, but it cannot justify the contract the player is pushing for.
Mbappe, after all, has scored 15 Champions League goals alone this year – the joint third highest contribution in the history of the (admittedly expanded) tournament.
Following the elimination by Bayern, Santiago Canizares, a former goalkeeper at the Bernabeu, complained: “Vini Jr hasn’t been giving Real Madrid the performance his contract and status as a player stipulate for two years.”
Vini Jr’s missed opportunity in Munich
Vini had the chance to improve his negotiating position with a decisive display against Bayern. Instead, an off-key performance leaves his future in greater doubt than ever.
He passed up two glorious chances to push Real Madrid to the brink of the quarter-finals. First, he slashed wildly wide when charging clear down the left channel, then he miskicked a cutback from Mbappe when six yards out. Although he did manage an assist, he had little of the ball and his overall impact on the game was limited.
To make matters worse, he also clashed angrily with team-mate Jude Bellingham.
Movistar cameras caught him hitting out at the Englishman, with Marca reporting he said: “What do you want? Shut your mouth.”
He was also involved in an exchange with Joshua Kimmich off the ball that might have seen him suffer the same red card fate as Camavinga just nine minutes into the game.
— 4233 (@centrgoals) April 15, 2026
Vini Jr: A tough player to sell
As Canizares points out, though, Real Madrid’s position with Vini is not straightforward.
The former Spain keeper said: “It’s very easy to say: ‘I’m going to sell him.’
“It’s very easy to be a sporting director from a sofa, but when you’re in the real world, you have to manage what you want for the player and what’s on the table.
“But that being said, I agree he should leave. With a good offer, I’d sell him.”
But who buys Vini?
The Brazilian is a luxury commodity, the type of which would be a huge gamble for a Premier League side, particularly given his wage demands and the stress his ego would place on the squad.
Could a move come from the Saudi Pro League? While it’s generally agreed that another big transfer window is looming from the Middle East, some doubt has been cast on its investment in sport following a report in the Financial Times that suggests it could pull funding from LIV Golf.
Real Madrid and Vini Jr are rapidly running out of solutions as the transfer window approaches, setting the saga of the Brazilian up as one of the most fascinating of the summer.
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