Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Vinicius Junior will be handed a personalised holiday period by Real Madrid, on break for a week.
Part of being a footballer, especially at the incredibly high level of Real Madrid, is that having rest over the European festive period is a rarity. This was the case during the 2022 World Cup but in usual circumstances, the Christmas period is the busiest.
This means that for those players who celebrate Christmas, it is a sacrifice which must be made to take time away from the family to train with the club.
That said, Carlo Ancelotti has commented on Vinicius Junior's upcoming break.
Carlo Ancelotti makes a risky decision involving Vinicius Junior
Speaking to the media in midweek, Carlo Ancelotti confirmed that Vinicius Junior would be granted a week's rest from Real Madrid action. He is training with the club currently but as of Saturday, he will go on holiday. Then, Vini Jr will return to Real Madrid on December 30
In his own words, Ancelotti said: “ coming back with us, training until Friday, and on Saturday he goes on holiday to return on December 30. We don’t have much time to prepare for the match against Valencia, so we all return to training on the 30th.”
Real Madrid kick off against Sevilla at the weekend. This is a match which Vini Jr is unable to play in, due to suspension. Therefore, Carlo Ancelotti has used this time to grant an unorthodox holiday to Vinicius Junior.
Due to the time period, Real Madrid will not have much time to prepare to face Valencia in the following week. However, Vinicius Junior will return to action when the rest of the Real Madrid squad start training for the Valencia match.
Given how important Vinicius Junior is to Real Madrid and as the best player in the world, it is certainly risky for Carlo Ancelotti to grant him a holiday period before the new year. However, it could also be seen as a good strategy for his morale and fitness levels.
Vini has been through an extremely eventful year. He has been key to plenty of Real Madrid's success in 2024, proving that yet again recently by scoring in the Intercontinental Cup final.
Therefore, it might be good and rewarding for both Real Madrid and Vinicius Junior if the star player is able to recuperate well.