How many times has Vinicius been sent off since he signed for Real Madrid?

In Madrid, there is widespread astonishment at the refereeing standards. No team in La Liga has seen more yellow cards for protesting than Real Madrid, with a total of nine—six of which came in the last two matchdays alone. Leading the charge is Vinicius: the Brazilian has racked up three yellow cards this season, in addition to one from the season opener against Atalanta, which he received for a challenge. That makes it four yellow cards in just nine games for the frustrated player.

While there is general concern, it intensifies when focused on Vinicius. He has received a yellow card every 0.44 games but has managed to avoid being sent off so far, both in the 2024-25 season and throughout his entire career with the first team. In fact, Vini has only been shown a red card once in his career, and that was while playing for Real Madrid’s reserve team, Castilla.

Vinicius Jr’s red card record

Vinicius joined Real Madrid in 2018 for €45 million, arriving at the age of 18 with a wealth of talent... and temperament. Before stepping up to the first team, he spent a brief stint with the reserves, playing just five games, scoring four goals and providing one assist. His only career red card came in another reserve match, this time against Celta B. Despite scoring Madrid’s only goal in the 1-1 draw, the referee, Alexander González, judged that Vinicius had simulated a foul near the area, resulting in a second yellow and his only dismissal.

Before that, in his 69 matches for Flamengo, Vinicius received nine yellow cards but no reds. The same pattern has held true for his appearances with the Brazilian national team, where he has accumulated six yellow cards across various age levels and senior matches, but never a red.

However, he did miss the crucial quarterfinal match in the last Copa América due to yellow card accumulation (having been booked against Paraguay and Colombia in the second and third matchdays). Brazil went on to lose in a penalty shootout to Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay.

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With Real Madrid’s first team, Vinicius’s discipline record has gradually worsened. In the 2018-19 season, he received just one yellow card in 31 games (1,742 minutes). The following season, that number increased to six, averaging one every 302.9 minutes. In 2020-21, he tempered those numbers slightly, receiving four yellows—one every 680.5 minutes. During his breakout 2021-22 season, the number rose to seven, but the ratio remained consistent, with one yellow card every 610.3 minutes. From there, the numbers began to spike.

In the 2022-23 season, Vinicius received 16 yellow cards—one every 297 minutes. Last season, the total dropped to 11, though the frequency worsened, with a yellow card every 280 minutes, as he played just 3,080 minutes. This season, the tension has escalated further, as he’s now averaging a yellow card every 185 minutes. So far, Vinicius has missed four games for Madrid due to yellow card accumulation and one for Brazil. Though he has managed to avoid being sent off, he continues to walk a fine line.