Does Vinicius still have a future at Real?

After being benched for the Champions League clash with Marseille, Vinicius was given a start against Espanyol. But as the Brazilian was still searching for a goal, after four shots and one missed chance, he looked up at the scoreboard and saw he had been substituted.

It was the 77th minute. Vinicius was so frustrated that he slammed the water bottle down and raised his arms in a gesture of displeasure. Of course, the whole action did not go unnoticed by coach Xabi Alonso. After the match, he tried to ease the tension by saying that this was the reaction any player would have when being substituted midway through a match.

"Vinicius played well, but lacked the scoring touch. Taking him off was when the team needed to control the game better. However, maybe I replaced Vinicius when he was in good form, or maybe I took him off a bit early," said the Real coach.

Objectively, Vinicius’s form has been nothing to complain about, with two goals and a constant threat. However, there are signs of a role for last season’s The Best winner. Under Alonso, Vinicius was asked to help out more defensively, then often played in rotation with Rodrygo.

Notably, his future at the Bernabeu is also in doubt. According to AS, negotiations to renew his contract with the club have been suspended after the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. The reason does not come from Vinicius, who has significantly reduced his new salary demands, but from Real's Board of Directors.

Marco Ruiz of AS believes that because the 25-year-old has not played as important a role under Alonso as he did under Carlo Ancelotti, Real want to wait before making a final decision. After all, Vinicius' contract runs until 2027, and the board will wait to see how well he adapts to Alonso's style. Of course, a negative reaction like the one against Espanyol is not what they want to see.