Losing Vinícius Júnior is a significant blow to Real Madrid, but the reigning Spanish and European champions are no strangers to excelling in the face of adversity.
Besides Kylian Mbappé's struggles, the main storyline dominating the early months of Real Madrid's 2024–25 season is the club's growing injury crisis. Eduardo Camavinga was out the first two months of the season while Jude Bellingham played one La Liga match in August before missing the next month. Dani Carvajal and Éder Militão then suffered season-ending ACL injuries, leaving Carlo Ancelotti's backline completely exposed.
Mbappé was also briefly sidelined with a thigh injury as Brahim Díaz, Dani Ceballos and Lucas Vázquez dealt with injuries of their own. Rodrygo has been in and out of the infirmary and Thibaut Courtois has played three of Real Madrid's last eight matches. Even Aurélien Tchouaméni is sidelined with an ankle injury.
Vinícius Júnior was one of the only constants in Ancelotti's ever-changing lineups and formations. The Brazilian featured in all 18 of Real Madrid's matches this season and leads the team in scoring with 12 goals and five assists across all competitions. In what feels like a cruel twist of fate for Madridistas, Los Blancos' best player is now the latest of Ancelotti's men to suffer an injury.
The club confirmed Vinícius Júnior sustained an injury to the biceps femoris in his left leg and is expected to miss up to four weeks.
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The news comes at a particularly bad time for Real Madrid. Not only does the team have a trip to Anfield on the horizon, but it is also slowly closing the gap to Barcelona atop the La Liga standings. Los Blancos are now just four points back with a game in hand.
Still, even without Vinícius Júnior, Real Madrid has the players and the coach it needs to keep its La Liga campaign on track. If Ancelotti proved anything last season, it is that he can win without his superstars. After all, Vinícius Júnior missed 11 games in the 2023–24 season due to injury and Real Madrid came away with nine victories, one draw and one defeat in those matches.
In fact, Los Blancos went on to win La Liga and the Champions League despite losing Courtois, David Alaba and Militão to ACL injuries. Even against some of the toughest opponents in the world, including Manchester City and Bayern Munich, Real Madrid found a way to win.
So much of Real Madrid's success last year came from unexpected places. Andriy Lunin stepped up when it mattered most between the posts, Tchouaméni filled in at center back and Joselu came off the bench to send Los Blancos to the Champions League final.
Sure, Ancelotti's squad is different this year. Toni Kroos retired, Joselu left and the loss of Carvajal is virtually insurmountable. Yet talent and versatility still bleeds from the locker room. In the last four months alone, Ancelotti deployed Bellingham as a right wing-back, Fede Valverde as a right back and Tchouaméni as a center back. Even former Real Madrid Castilla player Raúl Asencio has impressed in his first two matches for the first team. The style of soccer might not always be pretty, but in the last 10 La Liga matches, Real Madrid walked away with three points in all but two.
Plus, Ancelotti also has Mbappé to call on this year. The Frenchman now has the chance to play in his favored position on the left wing and prove he can rediscover the form of his past. The ex-Paris Saint-Germain man has nine goals across all competitions this season, but will need to deliver much more without Vinícius Júnior to help carry the load.
The good news for Los Blancos is they face a fairly manageable run of matches while Vinícius Júnior is sidelined. In La Liga, Real Madrid plays 15th-place Getafe, Athletic Club, a Girona side with only six La Liga wins and 13th-place Rayo Vallecano.
The Champions League poses a larger threat with matches against Liverpool and Atalanta, especially since Real Madrid already has two losses in the new league phase. Even if the team cannot secure automatic qualification, though, its chances of surviving the play-off round are extremely high considering Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo and Tchouaméni will likely all be back by then.
It might feel like time to push the panic button, but if Real Madrid has shown anything over the last three years, it is that this club does not panic. Instead, it rises to the occasion and typically, comes out the other side with silverware.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Vinicius Junior's Injury Is Not the End of Real Madrid's Season.
