Vinícius Júnior faces criticism and controversy in a turbulent week for Real Madrid

Real Madrid grind out win over Elche

On Tuesday, September 15, Real Madrid won 3-2 away at Elche in round six of LaLiga, but the match once again put the spotlight on Brazilian forward Vinícius Júnior's form and conduct, both on and off the pitch.

Solidarity shirts for Ceuta

Before kick-off, both teams walked onto the pitch wearing special shirts reading "Todos somos caballas" ("We are all caballas"), a show of solidarity with the Spanish autonomous city of Ceuta, which saw a mass arrival of Moroccan migrants in late July, according to A Bola. Real Madrid officially confirmed the initiative on its website. However, three of the club's players — Vinícius Júnior, Kylian Mbappé and Ibrahima Konaté — did not wear the shirts as intended: Konaté simply held his in his hands, while Mbappé and Vinícius draped theirs over their shoulders without fully putting them on. By the time of the pre-match greetings, none of the three was displaying the shirt, a gesture that did not go unnoticed and sparked controversy in Spain.

Mourinho wants to see the "best version"

Ahead of the match, Real Madrid coach José Mourinho said his "best version" of Vinícius is the one that scores goals, according to FotMob. This season the Brazilian has scored just one goal in six appearances, though he leads the team with three assists. He was linked with a possible move to Arsenal over the summer but ultimately renewed his contract with Real Madrid. Mourinho said he is satisfied with Vinícius's overall performance and work ethic, but noted that the player has recently lacked the decisive edge he showed in tight matches last season.

After the match — an admission and criticism

Following the win over Elche, Vinícius acknowledged his poor performance in an Instagram story, promising: "The goals will come back, I can't keep missing so much. Sunday there's another chance," according to Metrópoles. Spanish outlet Diario AS reported that the player squandered several first-half chances, and fans began booing him in the second half. Mourinho substituted him in the 68th minute, bringing on Brahim Díaz.