Why Is Vinicius Jr. Not Playing Tonight for Real Madrid vs Athletic Club?
Real Madrid will play their last game of the season against Athletic Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabeu. The match does not affect their position in the league table as they will finish second this season.
Real Madrid will look to win their last game of the season, which will honor Dani Carvajal and David Alaba, who will leave the club this summer.
The team will have to play against Athletic Bilbao without one of their key players, Vinicius Junior. The Brazilian winger played last week against Sevilla, where he scored the only goal whcih gave Real Madrid the 1-0 away win.
Vinicius Junior is not part of the starting lineup and is not part of the Real Madrid bench. Real Madrid's attack will feature Kylian Mbappe, Gonzalo Garcia, and Franco Mastantuono.
¡Nuestro XI inicial!
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) May 23, 2026
@AthleticClub
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Is Vinicius Junior Injured?
Vinicius Junior is not injured, which rules out that being the reason for his exclusion from the Real Madrid squad tonight against Athletic Bilbao.
ESPN reported earlier this week that Real Madrid agreed to give Vinicius Junior time off so he can go directly to the Brazil National Team training session next week as the World Cup gets closer.
Vinicius Junior finished the 2025/26 La Liga season with 16 goals and five assists after 36 league games for Real Madrid.
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This story was originally published May 23, 2026 at 1:41 PM.