Even though Vinicius Junior was pulled from Wednesday’s tҺrilling Champions League match against Manchester City, Real Madrid is not overly concerned about him ahead of Sunday’s potentially pivotal Clasico against Barcelona.

Vinicius participated in 102 minutes of the match, which Madrid ultimately won on penalties as they attempted to win a record-tying 15th European Cup. However, he was injured in the first half of extra time, and Lucas Vazquez took his place, leaving the tie yet to be decided.

Fans were naturally concerned about his substitution because Madrid will meet Barcelona at the Bernabeu in a few days. However, Vinicius and Dani Carvajal, who also left the game hurt during the difficult extra-time period, were both “dancing in the locker room with the music suρer loud” after the game, according to Guillermo Rai of The Athletic, who said he had been told by the team.

Vinicius, who placed sixth in the 2023 Ballon d’Or voting, has further demonstrated why he is among the best in the world this season. This is his first time donning Madrid’s recognizable number seven shirt, which has been worn by luminaries like Raul, Emilio Butragueno, Raymond Kopa, and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Only Jude Bellingham (30), who has played four more games than the 23-year-old, has scored and assisted on as many goals in 31 games across all competitions for Real Madrid.

Madrid leads Barcelona by eight points in La Liga going into this weekend’s Clasico. With just six games remaining, victory, as was previously the case in the Supercopa de Espana final in January and the reverse league match in October, would increase that lead to an unquestionably insurmountable 11 points. On the other hand, Barca would trail by just five points if they won.

Madrid last won a La Liga championship in 2021–2022, the same season they won the Champions League trophy. With Bayern Munich standing in the way over two legs in the semi-finals later this month and into May, that double is once again very much in the balance.