Vinícius Júnior apologised to his Real Madrid team-mates and the club’s supporters after his sending-off in Saturday’s clash with Villarreal, which Los Blancos won 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabéu.

The Brazilian forward posted a short message on his Instagram account after the final whistle, having been shown red in the 72nd minute. “The happiness continues. I apologise to my team and its supporters,” the winger wrote, celebrating the win while expressing regret at leaving his team-mates a man down during the decisive stage of the match.

A controversial dismissal

The sending-off came at one of the most contentious moments of the evening. Vinícius had come on as a second-half substitute and put the ball in the net, briefly appearing to double Real’s lead. The referee disallowed the goal, ruling that he had fouled a Villarreal defender in the build-up by pulling Saliba’s hair during the challenge that preceded the shot.

At the same moment, the referee produced the red card and sent Vinícius off down the tunnel. The forward walked off visibly furious at the decision, gesturing in protest as he went.

Real Madrid were left to protect their advantage with ten men. Yan Diomande had struck the only goal of the match in the 63rd minute, and the side held on to claim the three points.

Further frustration online

Vinícius vented his frustration again shortly afterwards. He shared a new post on his Instagram stories, speaking out about the refereeing treatment he believes he faces repeatedly. “The player who always gets both the yellow and the red card is Vinícius, what a disgrace,” the comment read.

The post was accompanied by a collection of images from different matches in which the player believes opponents avoided a booking despite fouling him or aiming blows at him.