After their club World Cup defeat against Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid ended a disappointing season 2024-25 without winning a big trophy. Fingers were pointed out for a number of reasons, but one of the striking striking Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior.
Mbappe came to Real Madrid last summer after ending his contract with PSG, and although they bloomed since his exit, Los Blancos struggled. And there is a strong conviction that this is because he and Vinicius are not compatible.
Moreover, the couple was selected because of their lack of effort, with the last thing that this happened at the club World Cup. It has been assumed that there are rising tensions about the issue, especially from Vinicius.
In recent days it has been reported that Vinicius has paused contract discussions with Real Madrid, which is a concern given that his current deal ends in 2027. He could doubt his future in the club, and if so, there are opportunities for him to leave.
To finish this, Sport has reported that Real Madrid prefers Mbappe who is staying above Vinicius. Club president Florentino Perez has a good relationship with both, but seen how desperate he was to bring the French international to the Santiago Bernabeu over a period of seven years, it may not be a surprise that this is his attitude.
Looking to find an effective balance for next season, there may be opportunities for Xabi Alonso to refrain from one of Mbappe or Vinicius in its starting line-up. His preference, however, will be to play both because they are two of the best players in the world when they are at their game. The challenge is to ensure that they can play together.