After Real Madrid‘s debacle against PSG, which knocked them out of the Club World Cup, Xabi Alonso said, “I’m leaving with certainties. This match, this championship has told me a lot about who we are and what we need to improve. This is the last match of the 24/25 season, and in August we will start the 25/26 season, which will be a little different. We are starting from scratch.” Perhaps one of those certainties is that something is wrong with Vinicius and that decisions must be made without hesitation. That is the belief of Madrid fans, who have now reached their limit.
There is a problem with Vinicius
Something is going on with Vinicius. The player has been far from his best all season and has given the impression of lacking motivation, desire, and commitment to the team. Throughout the season, several teammates have criticized him for his lack of commitment on the pitch in the middle of games, but the truth is that time passes and nothing changes.
The arrival of Xabi Alonso and his style of play should have benefited the Brazilian, but the truth is that he has gone through the World Cup without distinction, with the match against Salzburg being the only one in which we saw the Vini Jr we know, or at least glimpses of him. Against PSG, he contributed very little. He lacked threat and failed to create danger in the opposition’s area.
He has been unrecognizable for months and, except for a poisoned cross to Gonzalo, he contributed nothing, which led to his substitution in the 64th minute. A bench he has not occupied throughout the World Cup, always starting in the starting eleven even without deserving it.
The match against PSG also made it clear once again that Vinicius and Mbappé may not be compatible. During the season, it became clear that they often get in each other’s way and that their best games have come when the other was absent. The Brazilian infected the Frenchman with his apathy and anarchism against PSG. They are very disconnected from the coach’s idea of teamwork and playing as a unit, and having two cockerels in the henhouse with that profile is very damaging to the team.
Their attitude angers Madrid fans
Madrid fans have been very critical of the player in recent weeks. His attitude on the pitch has pushed the fans to the limit, and the words of journalist Manolo Lama on Cope after the match against PSG reflect this frustration. “I’ll spare Xabi Alonso from today. But was Madrid’s problem the coach or the players? Today I saw Vinicius, who we were told would be pressing under Xabi Alonso, doing the same thing he did last season, just going through the motions.” That is what is most criticized about the player: his passivity and lack of commitment.
A highly questioned gesture
Beyond the game on the pitch, a video of the player on the bench has gone viral on social media, causing an uproar among Real Madrid fans. The Brazilian was caught on camera in the 82nd minute, with the fourth goal still to come, talking to Camavinga and laughing, or at least that’s how the fans perceived it, on the bench.
While the Frenchman was completely serious, the Real Madrid number 7 seemed not to care about the Parisian rout. The video has gone viral on social media.
Future at Real Madrid
After months of speculation, tug-of-war and high expectations from the Brazilian, everything seems to indicate that Vinicius will end up renewing his contract, but it will be Florentino Pérez who will set the figures and the timing. However, things are earned on the pitch, and at the moment, he is not doing enough to deserve it. Many fans and the specialized press are calling for him to leave or at least for a firm hand to be taken and for him to be benched if he does not perform.