What Xabi Alonso told Vinicius before benching him for Real Madrid vs Marseille | OneFootball

There has been a lot of noise regarding Vinicius Jr. lately, especially after Xabi Alonso’s decision to bench him for the Champions League opener against Marseille.

The Brazilian international was benched to make way for Rodrygo, both of whom started in attack alongside Franco Mastantuono and Kylian Mbappe.

This marked the second time in five matches that Alonso decided to bench Vinicius, a player who was poised to win the Ballon d’Or not more than 12 months ago.

What Alonso told Vinicius ahead of Marseille game

According to El Chiringuito, Xabi Alonso had informed Vinicius before announcing his starting XI against Marseille on Tuesday.

The new Real Madrid manager even had a proper discussion with the Brazilian international, who recently posted a cryptic story on Instagram after the Marseille snub.

Tough times ahead for Vinicius? (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

During the discussion, Alonso informed Vinicius that the main reason for benching was so that he give equal minutes to everyone in the team.

This comes on the back of recent reports that suggest Xabi Alonso is not playing any favourites this season and wants every player to fight for his place in the first-team.

It has also been reported that Alonso’s benching of Vinicius is no longer an experiment, which means the trend may continue if the Brazilian maintains his sluggish run of form.

The coming matches, therefore, could prove to be critical for Vinicius as he looks to re-establish himself as a key player for Los Blancos.

Focus will particularly be on Real Madrid’s next game against Espanyol, where Vinicius will be hoping for a start, ahead of Rodrygo.

Vinicius has featured in five matches so far this season, scoring twice and assisting once.