Real Madrid are counting on Kylian Mbappe more than Vinicius Junior | OneFootball

Following their Club World Cup defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid ended a disappointing 2024-25 season without winning a major trophy. Fingers have been pointed at a number of reasons for this, but one of the standouts has involved Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior.

Mbappe joined Real Madrid last summer after ending his contract with PSG, and while they have thrived since his exit, Los Blancos have struggled. And there is a strong belief that this is because he and Vinicius are not compatible.

On top of this, the pair have been singled out for their lack of effort, with the latest case of this having happened at the Club World Cup. There are believed to be rising tensions over the matter, especially from Vinicius’ side.

Vinicius facing uncertain future at Real Madrid

It has been reported in recent days that Vinicius has paused contract talks with Real Madrid, which is a concern given that his current deal ends in 2027. He could be doubting his future at the club, and if so, there are chances for him to leave.

Image via Emilee Chinn – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images

To top this off, Sport have reported that Real Madrid would favour Mbappe staying over Vinicius. Club president Florentino Perez has a good relationship with both, but given how desperate he was to bring the France international to the Santiago Bernabeu over a seven-year span, it is perhaps no surprise that this is his stance.

In search of finding an effective balance for next season, there could be chances for Xabi Alonso to forego starting one of Mbappe or Vinicius in his starting line-up. However, his preference will be to play both, as they are two of the best players in the world when they are on their game. The challenge is to ensure that they can play together.