Madrid, Oct 29 (EFE).- Real Madrid player Vinícius Júnior apologized on Wednesday for his anger at being substituted in last week’s Clásico against FC Barcelona, saying that “sometimes passion” gets the better of him because he always wants “to win and help” his team.
Public Apology Via Social Media
“Today I want to apologize to all the Madridistas for my reaction when I was substituted in the Clásico. Just as I have already done in person during today’s training, I also want to apologize again to my teammates, the club, and the president,” he wrote on X.
Vinícius said that his competitive character is linked to his love for Real Madrid.
Connecting Passion to Competitive Spirit
“Sometimes passion gets the better of me because I always want to win and help my team. My competitive character stems from the love I feel for this club and everything it represents. I promise to keep fighting every second for the good of Real Madrid, as I have done since the first day,” he added.
This public apology comes after he apologized in the locker room during the first training session after El Clásico, following two days off.
In his apology, Vinicius avoided mentioning the team’s coach, Xabi Alonso, to whom, according to Movistar +, he addressed the following words when he saw his number ‘7’ on the substitution board.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. Me? Coach? Coach, me? It’s always me. I’m leaving the team. It’s better if I leave,” he allegedly said.
When the cameras focused on Xabi Alonso, who was looking the other way, he said, “Come on, Vini, damn it,” but neither of them interacted during the substitution.
After the game, the Real Madrid coach addressed what had happened but he did not want to publicly evaluate the player’s reaction or send him a message.
“I take away a lot of positives from the game and from Vinícius. We’ll discuss it, of course, but I don’t want to lose sight of what’s important. These are things we’ll talk about. Vini contributed a lot to the game. It’s an important and deserved victory that will restore our sense of being a competitive team in big games. Vinícius? We’ll talk about it,” he said.
“Within the squad, there are different personalities that you have to treat differently. Now, we’ll enjoy it, and we’ll talk about it in the dressing room later,” he added when asked again about Vini’s personality.
Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 in a match in which Vinícius was instrumental in setting up Jude Bellingham’s winning goal.
The victory strengthened Real Madrid’s lead in LaLiga by five points over Barcelona, but it once again put the relationship between Vinícius and Xabi in the spotlight. EFE
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