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Xabi Alonso Explains Bizarre Vinicius Junior Substitution in Super Cup Final

The Brazil international was nearly unstoppable in the El Clásico thriller.

Amanda Langell

Vinicius Junior opened the scoring for Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final.
Vinicius Junior opened the scoring for Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final. / Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso revealed Vinicius Junior asked to be replaced in the latter stages of the Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday evening.

The Spanish boss turned heads in the 82nd minute when he took Vinicius Jr out of the game at Alinma Bank Stadium. The Brazil international was Los Blancos’ most dangerous player in the 3–2 defeat, scoring the opener for his side in spectacular fashion and creating chance after chance with his pace down the left flank.

Trailing by a goal with the full time whistle swiftly approaching, Vinicius Jr looked the likeliest player in white to bag an equalizer against Barcelona in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Yet he made way for Franco Mastantuono in a substitution that left Madridistas across the globe utterly perplexed.

“Vinicius was very good until the [final stages],” Alonso said following his side’s Spanish Super Cup heartbreak. “He asked to come off because of fatigue. There was a lot of humidity.

“He was a constant threat, the goal was spectacular and he caused a lot of problems down his side.”

Real Madrid’s No. 7 won the battle against Jules Koundé all night long, beating the defender for pace at seemingly every opportunity. Vinicius Jr even made a mockery of the Frenchman with a clever nutmeg to break into the 18-yard box in the build-up to his sensational individual goal.

The silky finish was the winger’s 16th goal contribution in his 15th final for Los Blancos, tying the club’s all-time record held by Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Ferenc Puskás. It also broke Vinicius Jr’s 16-game goal drought.

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Alonso Slams Spanish Super Cup As ‘Least Important’ Competition

Xabi Alonso
Xabi Alonso could not lead Real Madrid to victory against Barcelona. / Fadel Senna/AFP/Getty Images

Alonso quickly shifted the focus from Vinicius Jr back to the disappointing result for his side. The 15-time European champions have now lost their last three finals, and all three defeats came against Barcelona.

“We’re not happy with the result, but we can take positives into the season. Now the most important thing is getting players back,” the 44-year-old said.

“We have to turn the page as quickly as possible. It’s one match, one competition, and of the ones we’re playing, it’s the least important. Now it’s about looking ahead, getting players back, mentally as well, and moving forward.”

Indeed, Real Madrid still have La Liga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey to fight for in 2025–26, promising more battles with their biggest rivals—who have a four-point gap atop the domestic standings—in the second half of the season.

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Amanda Langell
AMANDA LANGELL

Amanda Langell is a Sports Illustrated FC freelance writer and editor. Born and raised in New York City, her first loves were the Yankees, the Rangers and Broadway before Real Madrid took over her life. Had it not been for her brother’s obsession with Cristiano Ronaldo, she would have never lived through so many magical Champions League nights 3,600 miles away from the Bernabéu. When she’s not consumed by Spanish and European soccer, she’s traveling, reading or losing her voice at a concert.

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