Real Madrid have spent the past 48 hours hoping Brazil make the right call with Vinicius Junior. So far, so good, but the nerves have not gone away.
The 25-year-old winger missed Brazil's collective training session in Orlando on Saturday, completing only gym work and individual treatment after reporting discomfort in his thigh following the 2-1 friendly defeat to France. The Real Madrid superstar did not take to the grass with the rest of the squad, and while initial examinations did not reveal a serious tear, the issue has been logged as muscular fatigue.
COPE journalist Miguel Angel Diaz has provided the most reassuring update available: "Vinicius is fine. If he doesn't play against Croatia it is out of caution." That is considerably better than the alternative, but Real Madrid will not fully exhale until their player is back at the training ground in Valdebebas.
The context makes the situation particularly sensitive. Vinicius is Real Madrid's most important attacking player heading into the Champions League quarter-finals against Bayern Munich, with the first leg on April 7. His form in 2026 has been excellent and Madrid cannot afford to lose him to the kind of injury that has just sidelined his international teammate Raphinha for five weeks.
That comparison is impossible to ignore inside the Bernabeu. Raphinha was fit when he started the Brazil vs France friendly. He did not finish it. Vinicius started the same game and played his part, but the physical toll of back-to-back internationals is now showing. Real Madrid's frustration at the situation is well-documented. They believe their players are being risked in friendlies that carry no competitive weight, and Ancelotti's Brazil camp is acutely aware of the pressure they are under.
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) is expected to make a call on Tuesday's clash with Croatia by Sunday at the latest. Real Madrid's preference is clear. They want him back. The good news, for now, is that the medical picture has not darkened.
