Real Madrid are celebrating a victory over Barcelona in El Clasico, but the hangover from those celebrations centres around two figures: Vinicius Junior and Xabi Alonso. The Real Madrid manager took off Vinicius during the last 20 minutes of the game, sparking an angry reaction from the 25-year-old.
Vinicius stated that he ‘may as well leave’ Real Madrid during his fury, and his anger with his manager was not disguised, shouting ‘Who? Me?!’ when he saw his number come up. The tension between the two has been bubbling under the surface since the summer though.
Early tension between Alonso and Vinicius
The Basque manager has left Vinicius on the bench three times, and Vinicius has only completed three matches this season, a clear decline in his role from last season. Cadena SER say that the issue has been growing at Valdebebas, and that ‘there is no relationship’ between the two currently. That has been the case ever since Vinicius found out that Alonso had intended to drop him against Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup, before Trent Alexander-Arnold was injured.
Vinicius has not felt comfortable under Alonso, say The Athletic, and his camp believe that these are Alonso’s decisions, with no influence from the club. The word is that Alonso, from the earliest stages of his tenure, has been irritated by some of Vinicius’ behaviour, and is not impressed with him.
Will Vinicius leave Real Madrid?
It has been reported that Vinicius is now seriously considering leaving Los Blancos, feeling his relationship with Alonso unsustainable. Cadena SER continue on to say that Vinicius had actually asked his agent to find him an exit from the club in the final week of the transfer market this past summer.
Vinicius has just over 18 months left on his contract, and unless the pair find a way back, or Alonso is sacked next summer, then it seems unlikely that Vinicius will remain at the Santiago Bernabeu. With Rodrygo Goes and Kylian Mbappe in the squad, Los Blancos may come to the decision that it is logical to sell Vinicius next summer, so as to avoid losing him for free.
