Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior has endured a nightmare 24 hours after being hooked early against Roma - and being slapped with a four-match ban for a wild hair pull.

The winger was subbed by Jose Mourinho before the hour mark with Madrid 3-1 down at Roma in the Champions League - only to see his team-mates go on to thrive and win 4-3.

His frustrations were evident and he said: 'It’s only natural for me to be angry when I’m substituted, because I always want to play every minute, to be at my best and help the team, and today that wasn’t possible.'

He did acknowledge the positive impact of his replacement, 20-year-old Endrick, who scored his first goal of the season as Madrid completed a monumental comeback in the dying minutes.   

The Brazilian will not have much of a chance to blow off steam, though, after he was hit with a ban for violent conduct after his outrageous hair pull during a recent 1-0 win over Villarreal.

And the Brazilian will miss the El Clasico against Barcelona next week as a result, with Real Madrid already playing catch-up in La Liga. 

He was astonished when he heard the news on Wednesday night before Madrid's incredible 4-3 comeback win against Roma, saying afterwards: 'We've never had this [hair pulling] explained to us. 

'Someone from La Liga and the referees' association always comes to explain the rules, but never this specific point. It was a red card for me, simple as that... I've never been violent towards another player. I get hit quite a lot, yet the cards end up going to me.'

Vini Jr was sent off with a direct red card after tugging the long locks of Villarreal's Nathan Saliba on Saturday. 

And he was fuming at his dismissal, with referee Isidro Díaz de Mera noting: 'after being sent off and still on the field, he continued to protest my decision loudly, heading towards the area where I was with an aggressive attitude.'

The referee also noted that Vinicius 'had to be restrained by team-mates' before eventually leaving the field of play.

He even appeared to shove a La Liga official as he stormed off. Authorities condemned his 'aggressive attitude'.

Vinicius Jr later posted a brief apology on Instagram, writing: 'Sorry to my team and my fans'.

But he also posted a series of clips of flashpoints from other matches where he believes players should have been sent off, but were not. 

That post came with the caption: 'And the one who always sees yellow and red is Vinicius. A disgrace.'

Mourinho was highly irritated at the fact that they found out of his ban a couple of hours before the Roma game. 

He told AS: 'Is it normal for a player to find out two hours before a match that he is going to be suspended for four games? There is no need to answer me. Is that normal? Could they not have announced the decision now or tomorrow morning? Did they have to do it while we were on our way to the stadium?

'"In Portuguese we say: the cat is hiding but its tail is showing. It seems to me that the cat is no longer hiding now. The cat is acting freely, and there are things happening without shame. It is acting freely.

'Two hours before a match, a player at a Spanish club who contributed three points towards strengthening the standing of Spanish football, I do not see that as normal. But I am starting to consider it normal, because the cat is no longer hiding. What is the question?

'At the very least, it shows a lack of respect. Playing in Athens on Wednesday evening, arriving in Madrid at five in the morning, then playing on Saturday in Valencia, during a week before the international break, does not seem to me to be innocent.

'I do not believe the usual excuses, such as that the reason is television (broadcasting rights). I do not believe that. I have grown too old for that. As for the Vinicius story, and him finding out two hours before the match that he had been given a four-match suspension, Real Madrid fans are not stupid.'

The ban will only apply to domestic competitions, so he will miss fixtures against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander and Valencia. The next La Liga match he will be available for is against Celta Vigo on November 22. 

Madrid, being a rather argumentative club in these circumstances, may still appeal the suspension according to the Spanish press. 

Manager Jose Mourinho held his tongue in his post-match press conference, saying: 'I’m not going to speak because I want to be on the bench against Sevilla and Barcelona.' 

In any case, he will be allowed to play against RB Leipzig and AEK Athens in the Champions League during the period of the ban.

His domestic absence is a blow but the No7 has not been at his prolific best this term, only scoring once and creating three assists in eight games. 

'He is going to emerge,' Mourinho told TNT Sports in a display of confidence. 'It is just a question of when.'

Oddly enough, Vinicius thought he had scored his second goal of the season against Villarreal, but after the referee was called over to the monitor, he was sent off for the hair pull during the build-up and his effort was chalked off. 

Madrid sit fourth in La Liga, six points behind Barcelona, who have made a perfect start.

They found their mojo at Roma in the Champions League, coming from 3-1 behind to win 4-3 late on as the Italian hosts paid tribute to their former manager Mourinho with a tifo, making him visibly emotional.