Vinicius erupts in front of the VAR after the red card at the Bernabeu
Vinicius Junior experienced two opposite realities in the same minute: on the one hand, the euphoria of his goal that put Real Madrid 1‑0 against Villarreal at the Bernabéu; on the other hand, the fury of seeing the red card shown by referee Díaz de Mera after the VAR, which led him to charge at the referee and the stadium staff.
The incident and the refereeing decision
Referee Díaz de Mera sent off Vinicius with a direct red card because the Brazilian pulled the hair of Villarreal defender Saliba. The VAR alerted the official, who reviewed the footage and did not hesitate to confirm the dismissal. The play nullified the goal that had put Real Madrid ahead.
Reaction of the player and the surroundings
Vinicius, also called Vini, shouted “Red? Red?” and had to be held back by his teammates while he repeated “Why are you doing that?” up to four times. Bellingham commented “this is no longer football” and, according to the broadcast, Saliba told the Brazilian that he had pulled his hair. Vinicius pushed a LaLiga employee behind the VAR monitors, whom he called “shitty league”, according to Isaac Fouto’s explanation in.
showed the full sequence: Vinicius went from celebrating exuberantly, kissing the badge, to losing his composure when the card was shown. In the video Saliba can be seen confronting the Brazilian and Bellingham gesturing for the crowd to quiet down.
Former Barcelona player Gerard López described the action as “ugly, dirty and treacherous” and approved the dismissal, noting that the Bernabéu setting, the presence of a world‑star and the annulled goal had amplified the controversy.
The match, part of LaLiga’s eighth round, ended 1‑0 in favor of Real Madrid. Vinicius came on in the seventh minute of the second half, scored the goal that was later annulled and, after the dismissal, the team kept the lead thanks to a goal from Yan Diomandé.
After the episode, Real Madrid alleged a supposed refereeing conspiracy and pointed to Tebas Manel Bruña. Díaz de Mera explained his decision to Mbappé and received criticism from Cucurella, while José Mourinho tried to protect the player amid criticism of his performance.