Vinicius Junior to miss Valencia trip as Real Madrid ban takes him to Dubai

Vinicius Junior will miss Real Madrid’s La Liga meeting with Valencia at Mestalla on Saturday, 7 November 2026, as he serves the final match of a four-game suspension.

The Brazil international was sent off during Real Madrid’s match against Villarreal at Santiago Bernabeu on 10 October, with the dismissal followed by protests. His subsequent four-match ban has been regarded at Valdebebas, including by the player himself, as excessive and disproportionate to the incident, according to Spanish newspaper Marca.

The fixture at Mestalla will be the last game in which Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho is without the services of his left winger. Vinicius’ relationship with Valencia supporters has become increasingly difficult, with tension surrounding the player and the home crowd on previous visits.

Vinicius has previously accused Valencia fans of racist abuse. The incident was later featured in a documentary, prompting anger among supporters of the Spanish club.

The Brazilian has also been sent off in two of his last three appearances at Mestalla, where his meetings with the home support have been marked by particularly hostile atmospheres.

He will be far from both Valencia and Madrid when Saturday’s match takes place. Vinicius is currently in Dubai, about 6,000 kilometres from Spain by air, as part of a commercial agreement between Real Madrid and the Emirate of Dubai.

The 2023 partnership between the club and Dubai includes promotional tourism content, and Vinicius is using his time in the Middle East to film a series of advertisements for the destination.

Real Madrid players regularly travel to Dubai for a variety of promotional events. On this occasion, however, the forward’s suspension has created an ideal opportunity for him to complete the visit while unavailable for club duty.

Vinicius is scheduled to travel directly from Dubai to join the Brazil squad ahead of the international break, which begins on Monday. Brazil will play Japan on 14 November before facing Singapore on 17 November.

Both of those destinations are closer to Dubai than Madrid, allowing Vinicius to continue his international commitments without first returning to the Spanish capital.