Vinicius Jr Blamed for Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid Failure—But What Really Happened?
Jamie Carragher reopened old wounds on Monday when he boldly claimed Vinícius Júnior was the reason Real Madrid sacked Xabi Alonso after just 233 days in charge.
Alonso took over the biggest club in the world after Carlo Ancelotti was pushed out the door in May 2025. The Spaniard inked a three-year deal with Los Blancos that summer, and only lasted until January after a turbulent reign came to end following a Spanish Super Cup final defeat to Barcelona.
At the center of scrutiny during Alonso’s time in the dugout was his tense relationship with Vinícius Jr. The two had an infamous falling out in October’s Clásico, when the Brazilian stormed down the tunnel after Alonso replaced him in the later stages of the match. Tensions only worsened between the two as the months unfolded until Alonso was eventually removed from his post in the new year.
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Carragher, who spent years playing with Alonso at Liverpool, always remained a vocal supporter of his former teammate, and took the opportunity to once again point fingers elsewhere when it came to Alonso’s Real Madrid failure.
“If we’re really being honest, Xabi Alonso lost his job because of Vinícius Jr,” Carragher said on Monday Night Football. “He wasn’t really happy about the situation. He went crying to the owner and there was talk about him not signing a contract.
“In the end, as Real Madrid always do, they back the player. Then they sacked the manager.”
Alonso’s Real Madrid Exit Was Much More Complex
It’s no secret Alonso and Vinícius Jr’s relationship devolved so spectacularly that the player was in favor of a change in management. As Carragher alluded to, there were reports claiming the winger refused to sign a contract extension while Alonso was still in charge.
The two took jabs at each other whenever they could. Vinícius Jr publicly apologized for his Clásico antics but did not include Alonso in his statement. Alonso said the fans at the Bernabéu “have a right” to boo Vinícius Jr. Madrid’s No. 7 was one of few players to not write Alonso a message following his departure.
But putting Alonso’s Real Madrid failure solely on Vinícius Jr is a wild misrepresentation of what actually happened in the Spanish capital for the first half of the 2025–26 season.
Alonso’s Questionable Tactics
The headlines made it seem like Vinícius Jr was at the center of Alonso’s rapid decline at Real Madrid, but it was really his head-scratching tactical decisions that brought criticism his way. The Spanish boss was always eager to experiment, even if the experiment made little sense on paper.
In his first big match as Real Madrid manager, Alonso rolled out Vinícius Jr on the right wing for the Club World Cup semifinals against Paris Saint-Germain. Los Blancos lost the game 4–0.
He also threw a recently recovered Jude Bellingham into a hostile Madrid derby at the Metropolitano, disrupting his team which had been perfect to start the 2025–26 La Liga season. Real Madrid lost the game 5–2.
Then there’s the infamous 2–2 draw with Elche in which Alonso benched Vinícius Jr and instead started Fran García as a left wingback. Real Madrid went down 2–0 and only salvaged a point once the Brazilian replaced García.
Real Madrid’s Poor Performances
The perplexing tactical decisions did the team no favors amid a poor stretch of form. Los Blancos won just one game across all competitions in November, dropping points to Rayo Vallecano, Elche and Girona. The streak continued into December, where they also suffered a shock 2–0 defeat to Celta Vigo.
Champions League losses to Liverpool and Manchester City only made the feeling in Madrid worse. It didn’t help matters that the team needed a brace from Kylian Mbappé to get past fourth-tier Talavera in the Copa del Rey.
Such results will simply never be tolerated at Real Madrid. It would not have mattered if Vinícius Jr went to club president Florentino Pérez and begged for Alonso to stay. No manager can survive at the Bernabéu after such a disastrous string of matches.
Alonso, Real Madrid Onto New Chapters
No matter where blame falls, both Alonso and Real Madrid have moved on from an ill-fated reunion. José Mourinho is now at the helm of the 15-time European champions while Alonso took over Chelsea.
The Spanish boss led the Blues to a nervy 3–2 win over Fulham in his debut on the touchline. Ironically, Alonso got the better of his replacement at Real Madrid Álvaro Arbeloa, who took over the Cottagers following his exit from the Spanish capital.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, needed some last-gasp heroics to collect three points in their season opener. Carlos Espí played hero at the weekend, firing home a 90th-minute winner to lift Los Blancos to a 2–1 victory over Espanyol.
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