Floundering Vinicius Junior Gets Candid Advice From Unlikely NFL Source

Tales of Vinícius Junior’s struggles have reached the NFL. Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson encouraged the Brazilian to “stay off social media” and block out the “external noise” amid his poor run of form.

The Bernabéu hosted an NFL game in the Spanish capital for the second consecutive year, this time providing the backdrop for the Falcons’ clash with the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Robinson, whose team suffered a 34–17 defeat, is good friends with Vinícius Jr and had some sound advice for the Real Madrid star.

“I would tell him right now to stay focused, not to worry about the external noise,” Robinson said. “When you start listening to these things, you start to believe what people have to say about you.”

Vinícius Jr has received a heavy wave of criticism this season for a string of dismal performances. The winger has just one goal to his name in 12 appearances and is playing without any of the creative flair or confidence that has defined his career since he arrived in Madrid.

Even worse for his confidence is just how well the team looked while he served a four-game red card suspension; Los Blancos won all four La Liga clashes, including a potentially league-saving El Clásico, with Yan Diomande making the left wing his new home.

”He should stay off social media, leave all that behind,” Robinson continued. ”He should trust his instincts for his career, which I think is going to be wonderful regardless of whether it has its ups and downs. We all have those moments, those weeks.”

Vinícius Jr No Longer ‘Untouchable’ at Real Madrid

Real Madrid have played their best soccer this season without Vinícius Júnior. | Vasile Mihai-Antonio/Getty Images

Real Madrid made a statement this summer by offering Vinícius Jr a massive contract extension that keeps the Brazil international in a white shirt through 2032. The deal came after 19 months of tense negotiations, and finally got over the line once reigning Premier League champions Arsenal emerged as potential suitors.

But nothing has gone right since Vinícius Jr signed his name on the dotted line. Poor finishing, one-dimensional attacking and an abysmal work rate have been the story of his 2025–26.

The emergence of Diomande, who has eight goal contributions in his last 10 appearances, makes Vinícius Jr’s shortcomings all the more obvious. For the first time since Kylian Mbappé arrived, Los Blancos finally look like a cohesive attacking unit, and it’s all without the No. 7 on the pitch.

AS report Vinícius Jr is “fully aware” he has lost his starting position and he knows he is no longer “untouchable.” The difference between this season and last, though, is his relationship with José Mourinho.

The Portuguese manager is “standing by” Vinícius Jr and wants nothing more than to get the winger back to his old self. But Mourinho is also realistic, and after Real Madrid secured eight consecutive wins for the first time since 2022, he is not about to shake up his winning formula.

The International Break Comes at the Perfect Time

Carlo Ancelotti always got the best out of Vinícius Júnior. | Shubhajit Roy Karmakar/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The good news for Vinícius Jr is he now gets to escape the Spanish capital and join up with Brazil for the November international break. The 26-year-old enjoyed his best form under Carlo Ancelotti and Real Madrid will hope the legendary Italian boss can work his magic yet again.

There were similar hopes during the September-October international window, but they ultimately went unanswered. Vinícius Jr only managed one goal—a penalty—in three appearances for the Seleção last time around, and was so poor against India that he got hooked at halftime.

Two more international friendlies are on the horizon for Brazil, this time against Japan and Singapore. Vinícius Jr will be eager to make a statement in both matches, simply just to regain his confidence and silence the noise, if only momentarily.

Still, it might not be enough to displace Diomande, who looks so much more comfortable playing on Mourinho’s left wing rather than his right. With Real Madrid perfect in the Champions League league phase and back in the La Liga title race, there is simply no logical reason to reinsert Vinícius Jr into a lineup that is flourishing.

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