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Real Madrid forward Vinícius Jr has accused referees of treating him unfairly, claiming he is frequently fouled by opponents but is still regularly booked during matches.
The Brazilian made the complaint after receiving a four-match suspension on Wednesday for pulling an opponent’s hair during Real Madrid’s 1-0 La Liga victory over Villarreal on Saturday.
Speaking to Spanish newspaper Marca, Vinícius questioned the timing of the disciplinary decision, saying he only learnt of the punishment when he arrived at the stadium.
“I think the punishment came at a bad time. They had the whole day to announce the decision, but I found out about it when I arrived at the stadium. The rule is new, and La Liga officials always come to explain the new amendments to us, but they did not explain this particular rule to us,” he said.
The 25-year-old also insisted that he had never deliberately committed a violent act against another player, despite the physical challenges he faces on the pitch.
“I have never committed a violent act against another player. I get kicked a lot, and yet I feel that referees show me cards very easily,” he said.
Vinícius further called on match officials to protect attacking players whose skills and influence often make them targets for opposing defenders. He cited Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and Atlético Madrid’s Julián Álvarez as players who also deserve greater protection.
“The fans have to boo me because I’m here to score goals against their teams, but I don’t understand the referees, because I’ve seen a statistic that says I get 500 fouls for five red cards and I don’t know how many yellow cards, and the yellow cards are always for Vini. I don’t understand. We have to defend the players who do things differently, like Lamine at Barcelona or Julián at Atlético,” he said.
The Real Madrid forward also reflected on his development since joining the Spanish club at the age of 18, recalling how critics questioned his ability to score goals.
“Remember, I arrived at 18 years old and many people laughed at me. They said I can’t score, then I had more than 100 goals for Madrid,” he said.
