Vinicius openly scolds Xabi Alonso

At the 72nd minute of El Clasico, Vinicius was unexpectedly taken off the field during a strong performance, and his fierce response caused an unusually tense atmosphere at Real Madrid.

It wasn’t Mbappe’s goal nor Bellingham’s strike that stirred the Bernabeu crowd the most during Real Madrid’s 2-1 victory over Barcelona but rather the moment when Vinicius Junior exploded in anger after being substituted by coach Xabi Alonso.

At minute 72, the scoreboard displayed number 7, and moments later, the stadium fell silent as the Brazilian star cast a furious glare towards the technical area, shaking his head, pointing at his chest, and shouting loudly “Star? Me?” in frustration.

Vinicius left the pitch without shaking the head coach’s hand, ignoring all coaching staff members and walking straight into the tunnel. Cameras captured Alonso deliberately turning away, pretending to focus on instructing other players to avoid confrontation with the 25-year-old’s anger. The atmosphere on the field suddenly grew heavy, and Vinicius’s teammates showed visible signs of discomfort.

Before being substituted, Vinicius was the focal point of Real’s attack. He troubled Barcelona’s Jules Kounde with his speed and skillful dribbling. Statistics show the Brazilian won 64% of his duels and completed 5 successful dribbles, directly leading to the winning goal scored by Jude Bellingham. Given such form, being taken off while Real led 2-1 was something Vinicius found unacceptable.

Part of the underlying reason is that he rarely plays a full 90 minutes under Alonso’s management. This season, out of 13 matches, Vinicius has only completed 3 full games. Feeling “held back” and losing his star status triggered his outburst in Spain’s most prestigious match. After a few minutes, goalkeeping coach Luis Llopis had to enter the locker room to persuade Vinicius to return to the bench. Even after coming back, his face still showed clear dissatisfaction, sitting apart behind Alonso.

After the match, Spanish media confirmed that Real Madrid will hold a private discussion between Alonso and Vinicius to clear up the misunderstanding. An insider revealed: “Alonso understands that he is an emotional player. But Real cannot allow personal feelings to override team discipline, especially in an El Clasico.”

Despite the incident, the 2-1 win helped Real Madrid strengthen their position at the top of the table, five points ahead of Barcelona. However, the lasting impression from the match was not the result but the “slight crack” in the relationship between Alonso and his star pupil. Vinicius’s angry exit might have been a moment of impulse, but it also serves as a warning about the real challenge Alonso faces: managing big egos in Real Madrid’s dressing room.

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