Vinicius Jr vows to end goal drought ahead of Madrid derby

The goals have dried up, but Vinicius Junior is not backing down.

Days before Real Madrid walk into the cauldron of the Metropolitano to face Atletico Madrid, the Brazilian winger has sent a sharp, public message: the lull will not last.

Vinicius played his part in Real Madrid's breathless 3-2 win over Elche in the sixth round of La Liga, constantly driving at defenders and carving out chances. He left the pitch, though, with nothing to show on the scoresheet. No goal. No assist. Just a string of missed opportunities that left him visibly frustrated.

Chance after chance slipped away. The ball would not fall for him. The finish would not come. With the game still in the balance, Jose Mourinho decided he had seen enough and substituted the Brazilian in the 68th minute. Real Madrid then had to suffer until stoppage time, when Carlos Espi struck in the 90+1 minute to finally kill off Elche and secure all three points.

For a player who lives off decisive moments, it stung. And he chose not to hide it.

Later, on his Instagram Story, Vinicius posted a blunt response to his own performance: "My goals will return soon, I cannot keep wasting all these chances! On Sunday more is coming, Hala Madrid".

No filters. No excuses. Just a promise.

The timing is impossible to ignore. Real Madrid now turn to one of their most demanding fixtures of the season, the capital derby against Atletico Madrid, a match that often defines the mood around the club for weeks. Los Blancos travel across the city to the Metropolitano on Sunday evening for the seventh round of the Spanish league, walking into a stadium that delights in unsettling visiting stars.

Vinicius arrives there in a curious place. Against Elche he was relentless in build-up play, stretching the defence, linking attacks, and constantly threatening without delivering the final blow. He influenced the game but did not decide it. For a forward of his status, that is not enough.

So he has circled the derby on his calendar.

His message reads like a challenge to himself as much as a warning to Atletico: the missed chances against Elche were the prelude, not the story. In his mind, the narrative flips on Sunday.

Real Madrid know how often big personalities choose big nights to reset a season. Vinicius has now publicly declared that the next chapter starts in the derby. The only question left is whether the Metropolitano will witness the end of his drought or fuel it.