Why Vinicius Jr’s Real Marid Renewal Looks Different After Xabi Alonso Exit

Xabi Alonso’s departure has reportedly boosted Vinicius Jr.’s chances of signing a contract extension with Real Madrid.

According to Diario AS, Vinicius Jr. had a strained relationship with Alonso, which made him hesitant to sign a contract extension.

Vinicius Highly Likely to Continue at Real Madrid

Only seven months into his tenure, Alonso was sacked by Real Madrid. The club hierarchy, led by president Florentino Perez, made the call hours after Los Blancos lost the Supercopa de Espana final to Barcelona.

Alvaro Arbeloa has come on as his replacement and will make his debut in Wednesday’s Copa del Rey Round of 16 clash with Albacete.

Guti has warned Arbeloa about the job at hand, but his arrival may have already solved a long-standing issue for Los Blancos.

As per the aforementioned report, Vinicius Jr. felt undervalued by Alonso. Even before his public outburst at the manager following his substitution at El Clasico, Vinicius suggested he would leave in the summer if the manager continued.

Vinicius could not reportedly understand why the coach did not respect his status, despite him following orders and contributing defensively.

The pair’s relationship improved in the final few weeks of Alonso’s tenure, as he started to give Vinicius more importance. However, they reportedly maintained their distance.

In fact, Vinicius Jr. was among the handful of players who did not post a farewell message after Alonso’s sacking.

▪️ How Vinicius Jr’s Clasico outburst set things off
▪️ The dressing room split — who supported Alonso and who did not
▪️ Tensions over transfers, player power, egos and politics
▪️ His defence when told the news nobody knew was coming
▪️ How close friend Alvaro Arbeloa came to… pic.twitter.com/gtgsrygGSD

— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) January 13, 2026

Now that the Tolosa native has left, Vinicius Jr.’s contract renewal has become almost a certainty.

Arbeloa Already Paying Special Attention to Vinicius Jr.

In his first press conference as a Real Madrid manager, Arbeloa was asked about the situation surrounding Vinicius Jr. He clarified that he was lucky to have the Brazilian and wished for him to enjoy his football.

He said:

“I don’t speculate on scenarios that haven’t happened. I’m focused on tomorrow’s game.

“I’m lucky to have Vini; he’s loved by all the fans. We all saw the final. That’s the Vini we want to see, the one who enjoys himself, who laughs, who dances.”

Arbeloa also paid special attention to Vinicius during the first training session. He commended his work rate and gave him pointers on how to combine better with his teammates.

Following an explosive, albeit futile, performance in the Supercopa de Espana final, it will be interesting to see if Vinicius Jr. can maintain his momentum in the Copa del Rey.

With Kylian Mbappe a major doubt for the game, the 25-year-old is set to serve as the team’s focal point in attack on Wednesday.