Vinicius Junior feels he doesn’t have the ‘respect’ of Xabi Alonso and is ‘seriously considering’ the prospect of leaving Real Madrid, in line with explosive reports in Spain.
The 25-year-old is widely regarded to be amongst essentially the most exciting attacking talents in European football having helped Madrid win 14 pieces of silverware since arriving on the Bernabeu back in 2018.
But there have been rumblings of a growing tension between Vinicius and Alonso over recent weeks and the situation reached boiling point during Madrid’s Clasico defeat of Barcelona on the weekend.
After starting on the bench for Madrid’s previous league clash with Getafe, Vinicius was recalled to Alonso’s XI as goals from Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham sealed Madrid a 2-1 win over their bitter rivals.
However the sight of an incensed Vinicius storming straight down the tunnel after being substituted within the 72nd minute has taken a number of the gloss off of Los Blancos’ victory – the club’s fifth on the spin in all competitions.
‘Me? Me? Mister, mister! Me?’ Vinicius was heard yelling in Alonso’s direction because the fourth official showed his No.7 on the board.
As he approached the bench, Vinicius is alleged to have muttered, ‘All the time me! I’m leaving the team! I’m leaving, I’d higher go!’, before making his way straight for the house dressing room.
Vinicius has only seen out the total 90 minutes in three of Madrid’s first 13 matches of the season and the Brazil international is now strongly mulling over his future within the Spanish capital.
In accordance with Madrid-based newspaper AS, the three-time La Liga winner thinks his ‘status isn’t respected’ by Alonso and ‘the choice of leaving’ is now ‘being seriously considered’.
Vinicius – the 2024 Ballon d’Or runner-up – is increasingly adamant that Alonso ‘doesn’t like him’ and the deteriorating relationship between player and manager is fast becoming a ‘massive problem’ for the club.
Nevertheless, it’s claimed Madrid’s hierarchy remain fully supportive of the way in which Alonso has handled Vinicius – and are prepared to back any decision the Spaniard makes with the superstar forward.
Bernabeu bosses took a dim view of Vinicius’ questionable behaviour on Sunday evening and there may be the chance the attacker might be slapped with a hefty nice, as has happened in similar cases in recent memory.
Alonso was also removed from impressed by Vinicius’ conduct within the moment, especially given the match’s global audience and cultural significance.
Vinicius first aired his simmering frustrations behind the scenes after dropping right down to the substitutes bench for Madrid’s opening Champions League group-stage match with Marseille last month.
The report suggests this resulted in Vinicius informing his inner circle that he couldn’t rule out the opportunity of a move away from Madrid within the January transfer window.
While a later meeting had calmed the waters, Vinicius’ heated altercation with Alonso on the weekend has seen the sensation of tension bubble to the surface again.
Facing the media after Madrid’s Clasico triumph, Alonso said he was relaxed concerning the situation and would speak privately with Vinicius sooner or later.
‘I’m taking away many positive things from Vini’s game and I don’t wish to lose concentrate on what’s necessary,’ the Madrid head coach told reporters.
‘He contributed quite a bit. It’s a crucial victory, a deserved one.
‘Regaining the sensation of a competitive team in big games is very important. All coaches know there are different personalities.
‘Now we’ll enjoy it, and when the time comes we’ll speak about this stuff within the changing room, after all.’
Vinicius’ representatives have reportedly held discussions with teams within the Saudi Pro League up to now, with some clubs reportedly willing to supply in excess of £200million for the attacker.
The previous Flamengo man is tied right into a contract with Madrid until June 2027.
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