After separating from Xabi Alonso
Fan scandal at Real Madrid: Mbappé has to comfort Vinícius
January 17, 2026 – 6:12 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
After Xabi Alonso’s farewell, there is discontent among Real Madrid fans. Vinícius Júnior reacts emotionally.
These are turbulent days at Real Madrid. After the final defeat in the national Super Cup against FC Barcelona, the “Royal” parted ways with coach Xabi Alonso at the beginning of the week. Two days later, successor Álvaro Arbeloa had a very bad start: Real were eliminated from the cup by second division team Albacete Balompié. On Saturday there was also trouble with our own supporters.
At the home league game against UD Levante, the professionals were greeted with loud whistles. Fans expressed their displeasure both during the warm-up and during the game. The whistles were particularly loud when Vinícius Júnior had the ball.
That obviously left its mark on the Brazilian. Footage from the players’ tunnel shows the Real star dejected. Teammate Kylian Mbappé and a supervisor have to cheer up Vinícius Júnior, who is burying his face in his hands.
Despite the tension, the Madrilenians beat Levante 2-0 thanks to goals from Mbappé and Raúl Asencio. Vinícius Júnior didn’t contribute to the goal, but put in an appealing performance.
At the press conference after the game, interim coach Arbeloa tried to take some of the heat out of the topic. “It is the fans’ right to show their disappointment. The whistles were aimed at everyone, including me,” he said. With regard to Vinícius Júnior, the coach added clearly: “Vinícius is one of us and will be one of us for a long time.”
Before the game, the Spanish media “Cadena SER” reported that Real’s club management had sent a clear message to the fan curve: whistles should be avoided, otherwise individual fans could be excluded from the curve when the stadium cameras are subsequently evaluated.
In conjunction with the sporting imbalance, this probably also meant that Real fans did not speak well of club president Florentino Pérez. On Saturday they repeatedly shouted and called for the club boss to leave. Arbeloa countered at the press conference. “Along with Santiago Bernabéu, Florentino Pérez is the most important person in the history of Real Madrid,” claimed the coach. He didn’t add any new fuel to the fire, but in the end only further victories could serve as a fire extinguisher.
