Former Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has defended Vinícius Júnior’s angry reaction at being taken off in the Clásico, saying “I never liked being substituted either” but admitted that the winger may come to wish he had better controlled his anger.
Vinícius was visibly upset at being withdrawn by coach Xabi Alonso in the 72nd minute of Madrid’s 2-1 LaLiga win over Barcelona on Sunday, questioning the decision whilst still on the pitch, and then heading straight down the tunnel.
ESPN has reported that the relationship between Vinícius and Alonso is now strained, with the player planning to talk to teammates in the coming days, before meeting with the coach when the team returns to training on Wednesday.
“I never liked being substituted either,” Kroos said in the latest episode of his podcast, Einfach mal Luppen. “But to be fair, I never went straight to the dressing room … You can always judge from the outside. But nobody, except those who are there, playing a Clásico in front of 80,000 people, with the scoreline at 2-1, knows.
“The last thing you want is to go off. Nobody who’s judging [Vini] can imagine it. Most people simply can’t put themselves in his place … With a bit of distance, he’ll probably think ‘I should control my anger inside a bit more.’ I can understand it. It doesn’t give the ideal impression. But it’s an exceptional emotional situation.”
Vinícius later returned to the bench for the end of the game at the Bernabéu, and was booked in chaotic scenes at the final whistle as various players — including Dani Carvajal — confronted Lamine Yamal, after comments the Barça made last week criticising Madrid.
Alonso has left the Brazil international — who has scored five goals and provided four assists so far in 2025-26 — out of the starting eleven three times this season.
“We’ll talk about it,” Alonso said on Sunday, when asked about Vinicius’ reaction. “I’ll focus on the positive things in the game and the good things from Vini … I don’t want to move the spotlight away from what’s important. Vini contributed a lot.”
– Sources: Alonso, Vini Jr. relationship strained post Clásico
– Real Madrid’s Dani Carvajal in need of another knee surgery
– Barcelona’s Yamal paid for pre-Clásico talk, but others let him down
ESPN has previously reported that Vinícius’ entourage believe Alonso is not a fan of the forward, and that the relationship between the pair has been damaged, although it has not fully broken down.
Alonso gave Madrid’s players two days’ rest after the Clásico victory, with Vinícius travelling to Monaco in his time off, after a dinner with friends in which the drama around the game was not discussed.
Negotiations over a new contract for Vinícius — with his current deal up in 2027 — are currently stalled, after the club’s initial contract offer did not include the players’ representatives’ demand for €10 million ($11.65m) in variables, on top of a €20m ($23.31m) annual salary.
Information from ESPN’s Bruno Andrade contributed to this story
