The Champions League victory over Olympique Marseille ought to have been one other night time of celebration on the Santiago Bernabeu. But as an alternative of basking within the glow of three factors secured by Kylian Mbappe’s brace, a lot of the post-match focus centered on the absence of one in every of Actual Madrid’s brightest stars from the beginning lineup. Vinicius Junior started the sport on the bench, sparking questions on his relationship with coach Xabi Alonso. So as to add intrigue, Alonso has now addressed the difficulty with a seven-word declare that solely fuels additional debate.
Membership executives had been reportedly surprised to study that Vinicius, normally one of many first names on the group sheet, wouldn’t begin towards Marseille. In line with ESPN, “the royal membership understands that the coach and the winger wouldn’t have one of the best relationship.”
It was the second time in simply 5 matches this season that the Brazilian had been benched, and within the three video games he did begin, the supervisor nonetheless selected to substitute him throughout the second half. For a participant as soon as thought-about untouchable underneath Carlo Ancelotti, the shift has been stark.
Including to the strain, Rodrygo has brazenly informed Alonso he needs to compete for the left-wing position—immediately difficult Vinicius’ territory. That battle, mixed with Mbappe’s presence by means of the center, has created a brand new dynamic in Madrid’s assault.
Alonso’s rationalization
In his pre-match press convention forward of Madrid’s conflict with Espanyol, Alonso was inevitably requested about Vinicius. He admitted the timing hadn’t been proper to debate the choice initially. “I noticed him yesterday, and it wasn’t the time to speak, as I mentioned. You must have a little bit of that instinct, and we talked somewhat at the moment.
“However we’re solely 5 league video games into the season. There’s nonetheless an extended method to go; it is a marathon till Might. Now we have to take it step-by-step,” Alonso informed Marca. He then revealed he had labored individually with the Brazilian on ending drills: “Vinicius seems to be good to me… We’ll see tomorrow [Saturday].”
Vinicius Junior of Actual Madrid seems to be on throughout the LaLiga EA Sports activities match between Actual Madrid CF and CA Osasuna at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on August 19, 2025 in Madrid, Spain.
The seven-word declare
The clearest signal of the Spanish boss’ stance got here when pressed in regards to the ahead’s standing within the squad. That’s when he delivered his seven-word line: “For me, there are lots of essential gamers.”
By inserting Vinicius alongside Jude Bellingham, Fede Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni, and others, Alonso averted singling him out as Madrid’s undisputed talisman. “I worth everybody lots and I would like the entire group to really feel essential. Everyone seems to be on this boat, and we’d like everybody to drag in the identical course,” he added.
For a participant who completed second in final yr’s Ballon d’Or voting, the message was clear: star standing doesn’t assure particular therapy underneath Alonso.
