FC Barcelona legend Rivaldo has criticized Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso’s treatment of compatriot Vinicius Jr. as part of his Betfair column,
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FC Barcelona legend Rivaldo has criticized Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso’s treatment of compatriot Vinicius Jr. via Betfair.
The Ballon d’Or runner up threw a tantrum witnessed by around 650 million viewers on Sunday, when Alonso brought him off during El Clasico.
Vinicius had been generally outstanding in the 2-1 win for Madrid over its bitter rival FC Barcelona, but his over-the-top reaction to being brought off soured an afternoon which Los Blancos finished with a five-point advantage in La Liga.
The Brazilian has since apologised with a statement addressed to the club, its president and fans that didn’t mention Alonso, which some believe is a nod towards a fractured relationship between the pair.
As it remains to be seen how things progress between the tactician and his charge, Brazil and FC Barcelona icon Rivaldo – who had more than his fair share of fall outs with the likes of Louis Van Gaal and Carlo Ancelotti in his playing days – has given his two cents on the row.
“Vinicius Junior’s reaction was not correct, because he said some bad things, and that looks ugly,” the World Cup winner first conceded, before backing the winger.
“You can understand his anger: he was playing well, he was the protagonist, he participated in the second goal, and he kept the ball well. I think he was irritated, not only because of the substitution itself, but because it has already happened to him in other games, he has already been on the bench,” Rivaldo wrote.
“Honestly, a player like Vinicius, who is worth so much to Real Madrid and is the club’s heritage, cannot spend seven games being substituted. And even less so in a Clasico that [Madrid] was winning by the minimum, that Barcelona could draw and that he could finish deciding.”
Real Madrid coach Alonso might have been trying to make an example of Vinicius
Rivaldo had one interesting theory about why Alonso brought off Vinicius and hinted at potential jealousy.
“Sometimes the coach, having been a great player and champion, may not like to see another player be the big star,” he said.
“I don’t know if there is anything personal with Xabi Alonso, but sometimes it happens that the coach, to win over the group, chooses the most outstanding player. It is a way of showing authority. Something like saying: ‘If I can do it with Vinícius, I can do it with anyone’,” concluded the former Barca number 10 on the subject.
Saying in his post-match press conference that he and Vinicius will speak, it’ll be interesting to see if Alonso punishes the 25-year-old by dropping him for Real Madrid’s La Liga outing against Valencia at the weekend or an away trip to Liverpool at Anfield in the Champions League a few days later.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomsanderson/2025/10/29/real-madrid-coach-alonso-criticized-for-vinicius-jr-treatment-by-brazil-legend/
