Vinicius Junior hits out at congested football calendar after hamstring injury | OneFootball

Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior hasn't been shy about pointing the finger at what he believes is to blame for a hamstring injury that is set to sideline him for the remainder of 2024.

Vinicius played 90 minutes in Madrid's La Liga win over Leganes on Sunday evening. But Carlo Ancelotti had opted to play him centrally, in a swap with Kylian Mbappe, due to already feeling tired off the back of travel to and from South America during the international break.

On Monday, the club confirmed Vinicius had suffered a hamstring injury. Although no official recovery timeframe was given, Spanish reports quickly put his expected absence at a month. That means he is not likely to be back before the winter break over the Christmas period.

On X, formerly Twitter, Vinicius quoted Madrid's post about his impending absence to make clear his feelings on the matter.

"The crazy calendar," he stated, then adding, "TO RECOVER!"

Elite footballers have increasingly been highlighting concerns over congested fixture schedules, the number of games and travel commitments when it comes to fitness and welfare.

Rodri had spoken about the excessive physical demands on top players just a matter of days before an anterior cruciate ligament injury sidelined him for the long-term. The Spanish midfielder turned up at October's Ballon d'Or ceremony on crutches, although he hopes to be back in time for the reformatted 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, a competition that extends the club season into mid-July.

Madrid vice-captain Dani Carvajal suffered his own ACL injury soon afterwards. Cruelly, so did Eder Militao for the second time in little over a year. David Alaba is also still recovering from a similar injury that he suffered just over 11 months ago.

The Champions League has been expanded this season, adding two more games into the new 'league phase' that replaced the old group stage. An extra two-legged knockout round has been introduced for clubs that finish between ninth and 24th in the standings.

Madrid will also travel to Qatar next month to play in the final of the new FIFA Intercontinental Cup, a mini-tournament that has replaced the now defunct December edition of the Club World Cup. But Vinicius will miss the game due to being ruled out.