A story that only recently looked like a routine contract squabble has turned into a full-blown power crisis for Real Madrid. Vinicius Junior, one of the symbols of the current Madrid side and a team captain, is not just dragging out talks over a new deal – he is effectively tying his future at the Santiago Bernabeu to the fate of head coach Xabi Alonso. Against the backdrop of rumors about a split dressing room and growing dissatisfaction with the coach's methods, this saga has become a worrying alarm bell for the entire club.
Conversation With Perez And A Firm Message From The Dressing Room
According to The Athletic and Mario Cortegana, 25-year-old Vinicius recently met with club president Florentino Perez and stated bluntly that his relationship with the coach is "completely broken" and that he is not even considering a contract extension at this stage. It did not formally come out as a direct slogan, but in essence it looks like an ultimatum: either the situation around Xabi changes, or the future of one of the club's biggest stars is thrown into doubt.
At the same time, the same report stresses an important detail: Real are offering the Brazilian around 20 million euros per year, whereas the player's camp are insisting on a package closer to 30 million including a renewal bonus – a mechanism that Real Madrid have never used before. Personal terms and the clash with the coach are intertwined, deepening the drama around the negotiations.
Coaching Rift: Alonso And A Discontented Dressing Room
Information that Alonso's working methods irritate part of the squad had surfaced before, but now several authoritative sources are confirming it at once. Cortegana, regarded as one of the most reliable insiders on Madrid, writes about clear dissatisfaction among a significant group of players. Similar signals are coming from José Félix Díaz of As, from Marca and from Josep Pedrerol.
The essence of all these reports comes down to one idea: the coach is gradually losing contact with part of the dressing room. The first cracks were being talked about even before the next El Clasico. Some players, according to journalists, are convinced that Alonso does not really understand either their personalities or their needs and see his decisions as detached from the team's internal logic.
Outward Calm And Hidden Tension
From the outside, the picture looks much more serene. Neither Alonso nor the Real players have ever publicly acknowledged a conflict. In one of his interviews in November, Thibaut Courtois insisted that the atmosphere in the group is normal: there have always been players unhappy with their minutes, but, in his words, all contentious issues are discussed internally and never turn into a real problem.
However, the club's hierarchy are clearly far from relaxed. On the one hand, they welcome Alonso's attempt to reboot the team, toughen up the demands and implement his own philosophy. On the other, they cannot ignore the irritation among a group of key players, and Vinicius is the most striking example here. Despite the worrying signals, The Athletic reports that the coach's dismissal is not currently on the agenda.
New Order In The Dressing Room: Discipline Versus Star Status
The roots of the conflict go back to the first weeks after Alonso's appointment. At that time he invited the captains and other team leaders and set out new rules for them: impeccable punctuality, maximum intensity in training sessions, increased commitment and a tough approach to internal discipline. Once the leaders had agreed, these principles were communicated to the entire squad.
But reality turned out to be more complicated. Some stars, according to journalists, felt that they were being treated without "proper respect" for their status and past achievements. The reduction in freedom also annoyed the players: where previous coaches had left more room for improvisation, Alonso demands a clear structure and strict adherence to the plan. In addition, many point to Xabi's emotional distance – especially when compared with Carlo Ancelotti, who was very close to the team and enjoyed enormous support in the dressing room. Among the players' entourage a phrase is going around: the coach is running things as if he were already the new Guardiola, but so far he is not perceived that way.
Who Is Opposed To Alonso And Who Is Still In His Corner
Journalist Roberto Palomar has even named some of the dissatisfied players. His list includes Vinicius, Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham, Dani Ceballos, Eduardo Camavinga and Rodrygo. At the same time, Kylian Mbappé is said to have no issues with the coach; on the contrary, their relationship is described as professional and constructive.
Radio station Cadena SER adds another layer to the picture: some of the dressing room do not believe in the meritocracy Alonso talks about. The players see certain teammates getting regular game time while others spend months on the bench, and they interpret this as the coach picking "favorites" rather than encouraging genuine competition. Alonso is accused of distributing roles poorly, not always taking players' psychology into account and already having lost the trust of several key figures – Vinicius among them. And his weight in the group is considerable: he is one of Real's four captains.
Contract Saga: A Year Of Talks Without A Signature
Against this background, the story of Vinicius's contract extension has been dragging on for more than a year. His current deal runs until 2027, and negotiations have been going on for about 18 months, but with every new round the parties seem to move further apart. Not so long ago the Brazilian was saying he wanted to spend his entire career at Real, yet the sides have still not come close to a real agreement on the key points.
According to insiders, the demands and positions look like this:
- Vinicius wants a fixed salary of 20 million euros net per year and around 10 million more in bonuses;
- Real are willing to accept the basic wage but are trying hard to cut the bonus component;
- the player's representatives consider the contract structure proposed by the club "not feasible".
Power Pendulum: Who Will Make The First Move
It has been suggested that Vinicius's agents are deliberately dragging out the process to see how the season under Alonso develops and what role the player will occupy in the project. The club is uncomfortable with this tactic, and they are not in a hurry either: As reported that in the summer talks were effectively put on hold. The board are unhappy with Vinicius's previous season and want to see whether he returns to an unquestionably elite level before offering him an ultra-generous long-term deal.
Now the situation has become significantly more complicated. A personal clash with the coach, questions of trust in the dressing room, tension around meritocracy and drawn-out contract negotiations have all fused into a single knot. Real find themselves caught between the need to uphold the head coach's authority and the desire to keep hold of one of their most valuable assets – not only in footballing terms but also in terms of image and commercial value.
The pendulum can still swing either way: Alonso can win back the trust of both the team and Vinicius if his ideas start producing consistent results on the pitch and he finds a subtler line of communication with the leaders. Vinicius, for his part, can soften his stance at any moment if he sees a clear project and feels that the team of the future is genuinely being built around him. For now, Real are living in a state of suspense in which every next match and every new piece of insider information could quietly move the club closer either to a resounding renewal or to a parting of ways that no one in Madrid even wants to contemplate out loud.
