Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso confirmed that the Vinicius Junior crisis was resolved after the player apologized to his teammates during training last Wednesday. He indicated that the Brazilian would not be punished and would be available for the match against Valencia.
Vinicius had expressed his anger at being substituted by Alonso in El Clásico, even threatening to leave Real Madrid. He apologized to the coach upon returning to training and then released a statement apologizing to the players, fans, and management for his behavior.
However, Spanish media outlets were surprised that Vinicius did not mention Alonso’s name in the apology statement, interpreting it as further confirmation of the strained relationship between the two. They suggested the Brazilian deliberately omitted Alonso’s name, emphasizing that the coach was extremely angry about it.
Alonso addressed the issue on Friday at the pre-match press conference ahead of the Valencia game, stating, “For me, the statement was very appropriate and positive. The most important thing for me is what the player said to his teammates.”
He added, “We held a team meeting with all the players on Wednesday, and Vinicius spoke from the heart and with complete honesty, and I was very satisfied with that. Since then, I’ve closed the matter.”
He continued, “Vinicius is playing with great focus, and his performance in El Clásico was outstanding.”
He concluded, “I appreciate your interest in the matter, but we’ve closed the book. Vinicius is a fantastic player, he’s performing brilliantly, and we’re all happy. The matter was completely resolved on Wednesday.”
It’s worth noting that Vinicius has played 10 matches for Real Madrid this season, contributing to 9 goals, scoring 5 himself and providing 4 assists.
