Vinicius apologizes to Real Madrid, overlooks Alonso after the 2-1 match.
Vinicius Junior publicly apologized to the Madridistas, his teammates, the club, and President Florentino Perez, but made no mention of Xabi Alonso. Tensions escalated after Real's 2-1 victory over Barcelona, when they still held a 5-point lead in La Liga.
Three days after El Clásico ended with a 2-1 victory over Barcelona, Vinicius Junior apologized to Real Madrid but avoided mentioning Xabi Alonso by name. The message, posted on social media after Wednesday morning's training session at Valdebebas, apologized to "the Madridistas," "teammates," "the club," and "the president," but there was no mention of the head coach—the man who directly bore the brunt of his anger when he was substituted in the 72nd minute at the Bernabeu.
Apologies to everyone except coach Xabi Alonso.
In his statement, Vinicius explained: “Sometimes emotions get the better of me, because I always want to win and help the team... I promise to continue fighting every second for the good of Real Madrid.” He confirmed that he had “apologized in person” at the training center that morning. However, the names of Xabi Alonso or the coaching staff did not appear. Real Madrid declined to comment on this detail. Many insiders believe that ignoring the coach does not help close the matter.
The 72nd minute at Bernabeu: a moment of explosion.
Substituted in the 72nd minute, Vinicius exploded: “Me? Me? Sir, I give up! Me? It’s always me. I’m leaving the team. I’m going, it’s better that I leave!”, and went straight into the tunnel instead of returning to the bench as per regulations. In the context of millions watching El Clásico, this was seen as his biggest act of disrespect towards Alonso at the Bernabeu.
The authority of the coach and the personnel picture as shown by the statistics.
This incident is not an isolated case, but a continuation of a series of signs indicating a decline in Vinicius's role under Xabi Alonso. Compared to the Carlo Ancelotti era, the frequency of his playing time and the timing of his substitutions have changed significantly.
| Coaching phase | Starting lineup | Play to the fullest | Completeness rate | Substituted before the 80th minute. | Proportion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlo Ancelotti | 179 | 96 | 53.6% | 18 | 10% |
| Xabi Alonso | 10 | 3 | 30% | 6 | 60% |
The statistics under Alonso were small, but enough to show that the situation is different from that of the player who once thrived at Bernabeu under Ancelotti's trust and protection. Vinicius's frustration has been building up in recent weeks whenever he's been substituted early. Dissatisfaction with the coach's decisions, according to sources within the club, isn't just Vinicius's, but also "especially with Valverde and Endrick."
Official response and de-escalation efforts
Real Madrid insists there will be no internal disciplinary action. Some sources within the club describe Vinicius as "hot-tempered but a good person." Alonso didn't elaborate on the incident after the match, but emphasized he would speak to his player — "Of course," he repeated several times. This is the first major incident in the dressing room since Alonso signed with Real Madrid five months ago.
The hot seat and the human resource management test.
Vinicius's public apology, while omitting the coach, further strained the relationship between Alonso and his player. This message was seen as a challenge to the coach's authority. Even if internal efforts are made to smooth things over, omitting the strategist from the apology is unlikely to end the story at Valdebebas.
The victory is overshadowed, and the short-term consequences...
Real Madrid still lead La Liga by 5 points over Barcelona, but the aftermath of El Clásico is overshadowed by controversy. This presents a double challenge for Alonso: maintaining the winning rhythm while rebuilding a relationship with a key attacking player. How he handles this will shape the dressing room atmosphere in the coming period.
