The end of the international break is in sight, and one man heading back into club football under pressure is Vinicius Junior.
The Brazilian has been the poster boy for Real Madrid in recent years, registering at least 20 goals across all competitions in each of the last five campaigns, providing 70 assists during that time as well.
Those contributions have helped Los Blancos win two La Liga titles, a Copa del Rey and two Champions Leagues. Vinicius has continued to post incredible numbers even as Madrid have suffered back-to-back seasons without a major trophy for the first time since the 2010s.
However, the forward is now firmly under the microscope after scoring just one goal and providing three assists across his first eight games of the 2026/27 campaign. Vinicius hit new lows during September. First, he received jeers from the Madrid supporters as he came off at the end of their 2-1 win over Inter in the Champions League; then he was hooked after just 54 minutes of Los Blancos’ 2-1 derby defeat to Atletico Madrid just before the international break, having failed to register a single shot on target or chance created.
This poor form comes off the back of Vinicius signing a big-money, six-year contract extension over the summer after lengthy links to Arsenal, Manchester United and the Saudi Pro League.
But behind the raw goals and assists numbers, how do the metrics stack up for the 26-year-old? Do they reflect the consensus regarding his poor form, or do they point to a player just enduring some bad luck?
Goalscoring and chance creation
Vinicius’ lack of goals at the start of this season is underlined by him simply not attempting as many shots, while the quality of those efforts has also dropped.
The 26-year-old is actually averaging 10.35 touches in the opposition box per 90 minutes in La Liga and Champions League play this season, up from 9.75 last campaign. However, his shots and shots on target per 90 have dipped to 3.31 and 0.83, respectively, compared to 3.54 and 1.49 in 2025/26.
That has culminated in Vinicius’ xG per 90 across those competitions standing at just 0.59 this term — a huge drop from the 1.05 he averaged last season.
There is a silver lining for Vinicius and Real Madrid, however. While the player is attempting fewer and lower-quality shots, he is providing better chances for his teammates.
Vinicius’ overall volume of chances created has dropped to 1.79 per 90, compared to 2.12 last season. However, they are much higher-quality opportunities, with Vinicius creating 0.41 big chances per 90 compared to 0.34 last season. The difference is most obvious in La Liga, where his xA per 90 has risen from 0.18 to 0.28. After just seven games, he needs only two more assists to equal the total he managed across 36 La Liga outings in 2025/26.
Vinicius’ increased creative streak is further illustrated in his crosses attempted numbers taking a sizeable jump, now standing at 2.76 per 90 in La Liga and the Champions League, compared to 1.78 last season. It’s no surprise to see his assists per 90 numbers climb from 0.23 to 0.41.
Dribbling and involvement
It might feel like stating the obvious, but Vinicius isn’t making his presence felt as he’s simply less involved for Real Madrid. The former Flamengo man is averaging just 48.73 touches per 90 in league and Champions League play this season, down from 57.13 last term.
Vinicius’ heat map and touches in the opposition box show he is still occupying very similar positions on the pitch and receiving the ball in the same areas. He is simply doing less with it.
There’s an element of caution that has entered Vinicius’ play, with the 57-time international attempting 4.56 take-ons per 90 compared to 5.63 last season.
Of course, the player cannot solely be blamed. Real Madrid have already lost twice across the opening seven games of the La Liga season, trailing Barcelona‘s perfect record by six points. They’re also 13 goals short of the incredible 31 scored by the Blaugrana during that time.
However, there has been an undoubted drop in quality and quantity in the final third from the Brazilian, who has been utterly usurped by the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and even Arda Guler as Los Blancos’ difference-makers.
Work rate and defending
Reports have suggested that Jose Mourinho is preparing to drop Vinicius from the starting line-up in order to recover his strength following a World Cup summer.
That might be just what the player needs, but you cannot accuse him of shirking his responsibilities. In fact, while most of his attacking metrics have plummeted, Vinicius’ defensive numbers have actually been on the rise.
Vinicius is currently averaging 1.1 tackles, 0.14 interceptions and 1.24 possessions won in the attacking third per 90 minutes in La Liga and the Champions League. They’re by no means remarkable numbers. They never will be for a dominant side like Real Madrid. However, they are a sizeable increase on the 0.77, 0.07 and 0.7 he managed in those respective categories last campaign.
Real Madrid’s average possession in La Liga has dropped from 59.4% last season to 52.5% in this. It’s an indicator of Mourinho’s pragmatism taking over again at the Santiago Bernabeu following his summer return. It’s not a style that brings the best out of a mercurial talent like Vinicius Jr, even if he is doing his best to make it work.