With less than 20 minutes left on the first El Clasico of the season at Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso made two substitutions as his team was leading Barcelona 2-1.
Federico Valverde happily left the pitch, but Vinicius Junior did not. The Brazilian player clearly showed his dissatisfaction, continuously asking incredibly: "I miss?! ", confusing Alonso.
"Oh my, Vini!" - the Spaniard begged. But there was no way to ease the winger's anger.
"It's always me! I leave the team! I left the team!" - Vinicius was shocked when he stepped off the pitch and went straight into the tunnel. "It's better than me leaving, I will leave."
At this time, it is perhaps the best choice for all parties, because Vinicius' embarrassing act of dis obstruction of orders no longer surprises anyone.
On the contrary, it seems to accurately reflect his erratic nature. Another angry explosion from a player at risk of causing more trouble than the value he brought to Real Madrid.
Not long ago, Real Madrid was ready to condone Vinicius' selfish actions.
The Brazilian winger was convinced that he would win the Ballon d'Or last year, and even mentioned the victory that seemed to be in his hands in a fierce controversy with Gavi. That story took place just two days before the awards ceremony in Paris.
That is a rather clear cut of Vinicius' thinking. He believes that showing off his efforts to win the Ballon d'Or amid the sufferings of his home team at the Bernabeu is interesting. For the Brazilian striker, individual glory seems to be more important than collective - in a sport that is built on team spirit.
But in the end, that joke was counterproductive, because it was Vinicius who had to accept defeat. He didn't win the Ballon d'Or and reacted very, very badly.
Although Rodri is completely deserving of the 2024 Ballon d'Or title, Vinicius refused to attend the Manchester City midfielder's honoring ceremony. No Real Madrid representatives attended the event.
Speaking of that anger, it is difficult not to recognize the mockery. Madrid and Vinicius felt offended - while they were the ones who showed disrespect to Rodri.
However, boycotting the Ballon d'Or award ceremony is still something Los Blancos can protect together. The increasingly obvious individual conflict between Vinicius and Alonso is the real headache for Florentino Perez and the board.
Vinicius' current contract with Real Madrid will expire in 2 more years and is still likely to be extended. However, although the signing was once considered a possibility since last season, the Brazilian striker's future has now become uncertain. Most of the reason comes from the strained relationship between him and Alonso.
The first signs of the rift appeared at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, when Alonso announced that Vinicius would not be present in the semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain.
In the end, Vinicius was still a starter at East Rutherford, but only because Trent Alexander-Arnold was injured. Even then, the 25-year-old player still did not show much impression when being deployed on the right wing. However, he still contributed to Real Madrid's strong start to the 2025-2026 season.
However, dissatisfaction quickly returned as Vinicius was often rotated and substituted. In the 2-0 victory over Espanyol on September 20, with 13 minutes left, Alonso took Vinicius off to replace him with Rodrygo. The Brazilian striker reacted strongly, waving his arms expressing his anger before throwing a bottle of water onto the field in anger.
Obviously, Vinicius' talent is unquestionable, but he needs to control his emotions if he wants to continue to be a big star at the Bernabeu.
