Xabi Alonso wants nothing to do with a feud with real superstar Vinícius Júnior. The coach clarifies possible sanctions.
The furious departure of Vinícius Jr. in the Clásico between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona (2:1) caused a stir. Real head coach Xabi Alonso took the Brazilian off the field in the 72nd minute, Vinícius Jr. reacted indignantly, stomped off the pitch wildly gesturing and disappeared into the catacombs – without the usual handshake with his coach.
According to DAZN , the superstar also loudly complained about his substitution . “Always me!”, the Real star fumed and grumbled: “I’m leaving the team, it’s better if I go. I’m leaving!”
Vinícius Jr. made a furious departure in the Clásico
On Wednesday, the Brazilian apologized for his behavior. For Alonso, the matter is thus concluded, as he clarified on Friday at the press conference before the league match against Valencia.
“On Wednesday we all had a meeting. Vini behaved very well, impeccably. He spoke from the heart, honestly. I was very satisfied with that and since then the matter is settled for me,” the 43-year-old affirmed.
No Sanction for Vinícius Júnior
Vinícius Júnior had apologized in a statement to the fans, his teammates, the club and the president. However, he did not mention head coach Alonso in his statement. For the former Leverkusen coach, this did not pose a problem.
“For me it was a very valuable, very positive statement. For me, the most important thing is what he said to his teammates, the fans and the club. I was very satisfied with that. Since Wednesday, the topic is closed. We are thinking about what comes next. Vini makes a good impression on me, we are all in the same boat.”
When asked whether the Brazilian would be sanctioned for his outburst, Alonso reacted clearly. “No, no. I said it’s resolved. We have a game tomorrow, which is the most important thing. No sanction.”
Alonso Brushes Off Follow-up Questions
He then coldly brushed off any follow-up questions on the topic. “I’ve already answered three, four questions about Vinícius and think I’ve given enough explanations. I understand that your focus is on it and I respect that. But we ended the topic on Wednesday. The focus is on the pitch,” Alonso stated.
“We’ve had a very good week behind us and want to tackle the next one. I understand you, but understand me too that I’ve already explained everything to you.”