Revealed: First argument between Vinicius Junior and Xabi Alonso occurred at Club World Cup | OneFootball

Real Madrid and Vinicius Junior have had a rocky relationship over the past year, but rather than calming after the arrival of Xabi Alonso, has only grown in significance. With uncertainty over his contract situation, and those critical of some of his behaviour, Alonso has reduced his status within the squad.

The Brazilian is no longer guaranteed to start every game he is fit for, and no longer used for 90 minutes, with just three of his appearances seeing him last the whole match. That tension generated between Vinicius and Alonso came to a head on Sunday as Vinicius reacted to coming off, the latest sign that the two are not getting on as Real Madrid might hope.

First flashpoint occurred during Club World Cup

It is not the first time that the two have not seen eye to eye. Vinicius is reportedly considering leaving Real Madrid if Alonso stays, and was open to doing so in the last week of the transfer window. By that point, the first issue between them had already occurred in the United States during the Club World Cup.

Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid CF reacts to being substituted during the Spanish League, LaLiga EA Sports, football match played between Real Madrid C.F. and FC Barcelona at Santiago Bernabeu stadium on October 26, 2025, in Madrid, Spain. AFP7 26/10/2025 ONLY FOR USE IN SPAIN

While it was no secret that Alonso was intending on dropping Vinicius before their semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain before Trent Alexander-Arnold got injured. Cadena SER add that the drama was significant after Vinicius went worked out that he was not starting, and reacted badly to Alonso. Since, Vinicius has shown signs of disrespect, questioned his authority, and public frustration during previous substitutions too.

President Florentino Perez keen to see Vinicius revival

Since missing out on the Ballon d’Or, Vinicius has struggled to hit the same heights, and was just showing signs of doing so. However Sport explain that there has been some discontent from the Real Madrid hierarchy at Vinicius’ decline in importance, and the amount of time he has spent on the bench. Vinicius’ camp has communicated their own frustrations to the club, and both these concerns have been passed on to Alonso too.

Alonso and Vinicius required to calm tension

Real Madrid have left Alonso to deal with the matter, but fundamentally, the pair will need to put aside their disagreements in order to make the coming months more fruitful for both. One of the questions marks over Alonso before taking the job was how he would handle a dressing room of egos, and President Perez will be keeping a close eye on how he overcomes this challenge.