Real Madrid’s under-fire star Vinicius Junior has reportedly accepted that he has endured a dip in form, although he is still thought to have questioned quite why he was booed by some sections of the fanbase.
The Santiago Bernabéu was an unforgiving place over the weekend. Heading into Madrid’s final fixture of 2025, Xabi Alonso’s side had strung together a pair of unconvincing victories to save the manager’s position following consecutive defeats to Celta Vigo and Manchester City. Booing and whistling rained down from the stands almost immediately after kickoff in Saturday’s clash with Sevilla.
Vinicius Jr was caught on camera asking: “What did we do? What did I do? It’s the first minute of the game ... damn it!” as quoted by The Athletic.
Madrid labored through another less-than-convincing victory, taking a first-half lead through Jude Bellingham which was teed up by Rodrygo, who has recently been upstaging his compatriot. Vinicius Jr was subbed off with eight minutes to play to the loudest round of jeers on the night.
It was another game without a goal for Madrid’s left winger, extending his drought to 14 matches across all competitions since a brace against Villarreal in October. According to the same report in The Athletic, Vinicius Jr has “acknowledged internally” that his form has suffered.
Across the calendar year of 2025, the fleet-footed Brazilian has mustered just eight La Liga goals compared to a swollen 19 over 2024. Intriguingly, these tallies have come from almost exactly the same number of shots (90 this year compared to 91) yet the quality of Vinicius Jr’s opportunities have fallen off a cliff. Some finishing fluctuation has also played its part.
Vinicius Jr 2024 vs. 2025
| Statistic (La Liga Only) | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 30 | 34 |
| Goals | 19 | 8 |
| xG | 13.6 | 8.9 |
| Shots | 91 | 90 |
| xG per Shot | 0.149 | 0.099 |
| Assists | 9 | 8 |
| xA | 7.8 | 6.8 |
| Dribbles Completed | 74 | 86 |
Stats via FBref.
However, that understanding over his form does not extend to the fierce fan backlash. Vinicius Jr is thought to feel “singled out” when the team is collectively struggling. The fans are not the only ones to be somewhat underwhelmed by the 25-year-old’s actions of late, with some officials thought to have “expressed disappointment with his behavior.”
Xabi Alonso Declines to Offer Vinicius Jr Support
When Vinicius Jr released a public apology for his strop in El Clásico earlier this season, he name-checked seemingly everyone at the club apart from his manager Xabi Alonso. The Spanish boss has been at pains to down play speculation of a rift with the Brazilian over the subsequent months, but it felt telling how little support he offered to his winger in the face of this weekend’s booing.
“The fans are, of course, sovereign and free to express their opinion,” Alonso told his postmatch press conference. “It was a difficult match because of how we were doing. There are things to improve, but I also value the team’s current situation with the injuries we have.
“Now we’re going to use the time to rest and start the year stronger. I said goodbye to everyone, we said goodbye and we didn’t talk about the issue.”
Shortly after the game, Vinicius Jr posted two pictures of himself on Instagram alongside a “ ... ” before changing his profile to an image of himself in a Brazil, rather than Real Madrid, kit. The club are thought to be backing their waning superstar, but Alonso didn’t do a great job in the press room.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Vinicius Junior’s ‘Private Admission’ in Aftermath of Real Madrid Backlash .
