Vinicius Junior promises goals ahead of Madrid derby

Vinicius Junior has thrown down a clear marker before the capital derby, insisting his brief barren spell in front of goal will not stretch into Sunday’s showdown with Atletico Madrid.

The Brazilian winger came away empty-handed from Real Madrid’s chaotic 3-2 win over Elche in the sixth round of the Spanish league. No goal, no assist – and a handful of chances he would normally bury.

He buzzed around the Elche box, found space, created danger, but the finish kept deserting him. One effort dragged wide, another smothered, another blocked at the last moment. The frustration built.

Jose Mourinho eventually called him ashore in the 68th minute, looking for fresh legs and a sharper edge in the final third. Real Madrid still needed late drama to escape. Carlos Espi struck in the 90+1 minute to finally kill off Elche and secure three precious points.

Vinicius watched the decisive moment from the bench. The response came later, on his phone.

“My goals will return soon, I cannot keep wasting all these chances! On Sunday more is coming, Hala Madrid.”

No ambiguity. No soft language. A promise.

The timing of that message is no coincidence. Real Madrid now walk into one of the fiercest fixtures of their season, away to Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano in the seventh round of the league campaign.

The derby rarely offers second chances. Every miss is magnified, every touch weighed. Vinicius knows it. He also knows he carried plenty of attacking threat against Elche, even if the final touch betrayed him.

He drove at defenders, opened lanes for teammates, stretched the game. The goals just refused to come. For a player of his profile, that kind of night usually sparks a reaction.

His social media post makes it clear he has circled the derby as the stage to flip the narrative. No quiet reset, no gradual easing back into form. He is aiming straight at Atletico.

Real Madrid will expect him to back up those words when the whistle blows at the Metropolitano. Vinicius has set his own bar. Now the derby will judge whether his promise of “more is coming” becomes the first big statement of his season.