Alonso to discuss Vinicius’s frustrated substitution in El Clasico.
Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso has confirmed he will speak with Vinícius Júnior following the player’s furious response to being substituted during the team’s 2-1 victory over Barcelona in El Clásico on Sunday.
Xabi Alonso, Head Coach of Real Madrid CF
With the match at the Santiago Bernabéu finely poised, Vinícius was taken off in the 72nd minute for Rodrygo. The Brazilian star showed clear frustration, initially questioning the decision by pointing at himself before shouting and laughing as he walked off. He bypassed Alonso on the sideline and headed straight down the tunnel.
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Vinícius later reappeared on the bench and was involved in a post-match confrontation between the two teams, seemingly arguing with Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal. The altercation resulted in bookings for five players, including Vinícius, and a red card for Madrid’s substitute goalkeeper, Andriy Lunin.
What Alonso said
In his post-match press conference, Alonso downplayed the incident but acknowledged it would be handled internally.
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“I’ll focus on a lot of the positive things in the game, and good things from Vini,” Alonso said.
He added, “We’ll talk about [Vini’s reaction] of course, but I don’t want to move the spotlight away from what’s really important. Vini contributed a lot. It’s an important, deserved victory… As for the rest, we’ll talk about it.”
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This season, Alonso has opted to leave Vinícius out of the starting lineup on three occasions when the player was available, including the recent win against Getafe. Despite this, the coach had recently described the winger as “fundamental” and “decisive,” adding, “I like to see him smiling.”
Jude Bellingham secured the win for Madrid with a late goal, his third decisive strike in an El Clásico match. Alonso praised the midfielder’s recent form following his return from surgery.
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“Today, against Juve [on Wednesday] and against Getafe [last weekend], in the last week he’s had three good games. Having him back, we knew he’d need time and minutes to get going. That’s what happened, and it’s gone even better than we expected,” Alonso commented on Bellingham.
The victory extends Real Madrid’s lead at the top of the league table to five points after 10 games played.
