Vinícius Júnior, made a public apology after his furious substitution reaction at Sunday’s El Clásico victory against Barcelona. But in his message, the São Paulo-born player didn’t refer to the manager Xabi Alonso.
During the second half, the Brazilian star left the pitch in a rage, shouting, “Always me! I’m leaving the team!” His blow-up caused talk about his leaving the club. Vinícius wrote on X, in his words trying to defuse the fire, he made a sorry-face to “the fans, my teammates, the club, and the president,” but not to Alonso, with whom, as per the report, he didn’t speak when leaving the field.
“Sometimes passion gets the better of me because I always want to win and help my team,” Vinícius wrote. “I am a very competitive person and my nature is love for the club and for everything it stands for.”
Nonetheless, it is said that Vinícius’s dissatisfaction is just a mirror of the club’s dressing room unrest. The Athletic reports that the core of the team is “frustrated” and “disrespected” as Alonso’s very disciplinarian, dictatorial, hands-on style sharply differs from the more relaxed one of Carlo Ancelotti.
Even with those internal disagreements, the 2–1 victory over Barcelona has given Real Madrid a five-point lead at the top and therefore Alonso, a little break, as the pressure continues to build behind the scenes.
