Inside Real Madrid: Vinicius Jr’s anger, Ballon d’Or boycott and Bernabeu bother

Real Madrid has maintained a perfect start to the 2025-26 La Liga season under manager Xabi Alonso, securing five consecutive victories after a 2-0 home win against Espanyol. Despite this success, the team faces criticism and internal discussions, particularly surrounding player reactions and lineup rotations.

Key talking points include Vinicius Junior's visible anger after being substituted in the 77th minute of the Espanyol match, which followed his benching in the Champions League opener. Alonso downplayed the incident, explaining that substitutions were necessary for fresh legs and that other players, like Franco Mastantuono, also expressed disappointment. The manager praised Vinicius Jr's performance but acknowledged the demanding schedule.

Alonso's rotation policy is evident, as he has not repeated a starting lineup in the six matches of the season, with only four players—Thibaut Courtois, Alvaro Carreras, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Kylian Mbappe—starting every game. Sources close to Vinicius Jr indicate that only Alonso controls his playing time, unaffected by contract renewal talks, and compare the situation to Zinedine Zidane's tenure, suggesting a challenging season ahead for the player.