Vinicius and Alonso, getty images January 13, 2026, 09:34

Real Madrid striker Vinicius Junior was in no rush to extend his contract with the Madrid club, pending a final decision on the future of head coach Xabi Alonso. This was reported by a well-known insider, Fabrizio Romano.

According to the source, the starting point of the tension between the player and the coach was Vinicius’s reaction to the substitution in the match of the tenth round of La Liga against Barcelona, ​​which took place on October 26, 2025 and ended with a victory for Real with a score of 2:1.

As Romano points out, Xabi Alonso’s relationship with individual players on the team has remained rocky for several months. After the aforementioned El Clasico, the coach tried to find a common language with the Brazilian and stabilize the situation, but it did not bring the desired result.

In the context of negotiations on a new contract, Vinicius decided to take a wait-and-see position, wanting to understand whether Alonso will remain at the head of the team. It was this situation, according to the insider, that became the key in the whole story surrounding the future player in Real.

We will remind after resignation of Alonso The management of Real Madrid quickly announced a new head coach. The team was led by Alvaro Arbeloa, who previously worked with Real Madrid Castilla, the reserve team of the capital giant.