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Tension between Vinicius Junior and Xabi Alonso started months before infamous El Clasico spat
TL;DR
Tension between Vinicius Junior and Xabi Alonso began months before their infamous El Clasico incident. Alonso's struggles with squad dynamics ultimately led to his departure from Real Madrid after the Spanish Super Cup final.
Key points
- Tension between Vinicius Junior and Xabi Alonso started months before El Clasico.
- Vinicius's outburst during El Clasico highlighted deeper issues.
- Alonso's relationship with key players was poor, leading to his departure.
Mentioned in this story
Vinicius JuniorXabi Alonso
Real MadridBarcelonaBayer Leverkusen
Tension between Vinicius Junior and Xabi Alonso started months before infamous El Clasico spat
Xabi Alonso’s spell as Real Madrid manager was dominated by one singular moment: Vinicius Junior’s outburst during El Clasico. The Brazilian winger’s fury at being substituted during the victory over Barcelona dominated headlines, and it drew into focus a bigger issue, which was the former Bayer Leverkusen head coach’s lack of control in the dressing room.
This was one of the reasons why Alonso agreed to terminate his Real Madrid contract after the Spanish Super Cup final defeat to Barcelona in January. His relationship with some of the bigger personalities in the squad was not great, and this was especially the case with Vinicius – which the player himself admitted to months later.
That moment during El Clasico was infamous, but it was not when the relationship with Vinicius and Alonso started to deteriorate. Rather, that happened during last summer’s Club World Cup, when the latter had been in the door for only a matter of weeks.
According to Paco González of COPE (via MD), the problems between the two started in the lead-up to a Club World Cup match. It’s claimed that Vinicius blew up at the prospect of being benched in favour of Kylian Mbappe and starting together in attack, which prompted a change to Alonso’s plans as he ended up going with the Brazil international.
Q&A
What caused the tension between Vinicius Junior and Xabi Alonso?
The tension stemmed from Alonso's struggles with squad dynamics and his relationship with Vinicius, which deteriorated during the Club World Cup last summer.
When did Vinicius Junior's outburst during El Clasico occur?
Vinicius Junior's outburst during El Clasico occurred during a match against Barcelona, which highlighted existing issues between him and Alonso.
Why did Xabi Alonso leave Real Madrid?
Xabi Alonso agreed to terminate his Real Madrid contract after the Spanish Super Cup final defeat to Barcelona due to poor relationships with key players, including Vinicius.
