Vinícius erupts over suspension after Roma comeback: "I can't remember a player getting four games"

Four games. That number still doesn't sit right with Vinícius Júnior, and he said so without hesitation moments after a match that finally brought a smile back to Real Madrid's face. The Brazilian showed up in the mixed zone after the comeback win over Roma in the Champions League, a game the team turned around in just seven minutes, and the first thing he wanted to address was his frustration with the suspension handed down by LaLiga.

"I can't remember a player getting a four game suspension," he said when asked about the punishment stemming from his red card against Villarreal. The incident, he recalled, was a tussle with Nathan Saliba that ended with him pulling the player's hair. "I tried to get the player off me and ended up grabbing his hair. The rule is new, they always come from LaLiga or the referees to Valdebebas to explain things to us, and they never told us that," he explained.

Vinícius insisted there was no disrespect shown toward the referee and complained that his case gets scrutinized under a different standard than any other player's.

Everything is so easy against 'Vini' because people on the other team and the press are going to say it's fine. I'm here to keep improving, because I know how far I can go.Vinícius Júnior

The forward went further, describing what he sees as a pattern that repeats itself game after game with refereeing decisions. He says the fans, in fact, don't bother him much: he understands why they boo him, since he goes out onto the field to hurt the opposing team. What he can't wrap his head around are the referees.

I don't care about the fans, the fans have every right to boo me because I'm out there to score goals against their team, but the referees I don't understand.Vinícius Júnior

He offered specific examples rather than leaving it as a general complaint: "The yellow card is always for 'Vini'. We have to protect the players who make a difference in this sport, like Lamine and Julián Álvarez. Defenders have every right to hit me the whole game and in the end the card goes to me," he lamented.

The frustration with Mourinho and his read on the match

There was another uncomfortable moment that night: when Mourinho decided to substitute him in the 59th minute, with the score already 3-1 in Real Madrid's favor, Vinícius showed his annoyance with a gesture. He admitted as much afterward, though without placing any blame on the coach.

"I always want to play every match, every minute, but I know where I'm at, I know how I'm playing," he admitted. He went further when discussing his relationship with Mourinho: "We always have a very good relationship, he tells me things straight."

On the substitution itself, he ultimately sided with his coach. "In the end he was right, the team changed, it improved, and that's the most important thing," he said, and he was candid about his current form: "I know I'm not at my best, I've had worse moments, a lot of people have doubted me. I've always shown up and the good run will come back, I have no doubt about that."

On the match itself, with young players coming off the bench and making their mark, he also had words of praise: "This is Real Madrid. We needed a game like this, one that changes the season, the momentum. The younger players came in and stepped up, they played a great match. Endrick scored a goal, he helped us and that's why he won MVP, and Carlos [Espí] always changes the rhythm when he comes on."

The suspension handed down by the Royal Spanish Football Federation's Disciplinary Committee, in any case, is already a done deal: four games out for the red card against Villarreal and the subsequent protests toward the referee. Among the matches he will miss is none other than the Clasico against Barcelona, along with other league fixtures.