Vinicius apologises to Real Madrid fans for El Clasico reaction

Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr has apologised to supporters for his reaction to being substituted in Sunday's fiery El Clasico win against Barcelona

The Brazilian was taken off in the 72nd minute and expressed his frustration by going straight down the tunnel.

Vinicius later returned to the bench and, after his side's 2-1 win, tried to confront Barcelona's Lamine Yamal during unsavoury post-match scenes.

"Today I want to apologise to all the Madridistas for my reaction when I was substituted in the Clasico. Just as I have already done in person during today's training, I also want to apologise again to my team-mates, the club, and the president," he posted on X.

"Sometimes passion gets the better of me because I always want to win and help my team. My competitive character stems from the love I feel for this club and everything it represents."

Vinicius joined Real from Flamengo in 2018 for £38.7m and has scored 111 goals in 335 appearances. But his future in the Spanish capital is far from certain with reports in recent months stating that Real would consider letting the 25-year-old leave if they were to receive a suitable offer.

When Vinicius was substituted on Sunday, cameras from broadcaster Dazn picked him up saying: "Always me! I'm leaving the team! It's better if I leave, I'm leaving."

In his latest statement on X, Vinicius said: "I promise to keep fighting every second for the good of Real Madrid, as I have done since the first day."