"He was abducted by aliens": the story of the strangest conspiracy theory to explain Vinicius's dip in form

Vinicius Junior has cut a modest figure for Real Madrid this season, so much so that the Brazilian now risks dropping out of Jose Mourinho's starting line-up.

A conspiracy theory has swept across social media in recent days, gathering enough momentum that newspapers such as " Marca " have picked it up and dug into the detail.

The theory, spreading fastest in Brazil, claims Vinicius vanished under mysterious circumstances and that a lookalike replaced the Real Madrid man to honour his advertising contracts.

Some internet users insist the player who turned up at the Brazil national team camp and the match against Australia is not the real Vinicius. Their evidence? "Brazil's Vinicius" does not carry the tattoo on the thigh of "Real Madrid's Vinicius".

🚨🇧🇷 𝗨𝗡𝗘 𝗧𝗛É𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗨 𝗦𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗔𝗚𝗘 𝗔𝗨 𝗕𝗥É𝗦𝗜𝗟 𝗦𝗨𝗥 𝗩𝗜𝗡Í𝗖𝗜𝗨𝗦 ! ☠️☠️ Une théorie complotiste affirme que Vinícius aurait DISPARU dans des circonstances mystérieuses et aurait été remplacé par un sosie pour poursuivre ses contrats publicitaires. 👀… pic.twitter.com/jUJJt1qajC — Lives Foot (@livesfoot) September 28, 2026

Marca also flagged that "there is a completely crazy conspiracy theory which says that the American Central Intelligence Agency, the Rothschild family (an influential European dynasty of German Jewish origin that founded major banking and financial institutions in the late eighteenth century) and the elites killed Vinicius and replaced him after the World Cup".

Changes to Vinicius's face have poured petrol on the fire, feeding a bizarre theory born in Brazilian forums and TikTok accounts this September.

Une théorie du complot complètement folle dit que la CIA, les Rothschild et les Élites ont tué et remplacé Vinicius après la coupe du monde. pic.twitter.com/d4m2r6sDAe — Black Bond PTV (@BlackBondPtv) September 25, 2026

Others have gone further still, linking his physical transformation and the appearance of a double to an alleged alien invasion during the World Cup to abduct Vinicius and Neymar.

Famous Brazilian fortune-teller Vo Baiana said in a clip that went viral around the world: "I have to tell you that I again dreamed of alien beings invading the football stadium in Miami. And I saw clearly how they abducted the players aboard the first ship that arrived. I was inside that ship. And when I went up, the mother ship arrived and abducted thousands of people from the stadium. I saw screaming, crying and countless suffering".

Marca signed off with a firm line: "Those close to the player and Real Madrid themselves completely ignore these stories and false news that make no sense and that have appeared on the internet".