Vinicius Jr Drops Cryptic Message After Being Axed From Real Madrid XI
Vinicius Jr has made a cryptic post after he was dropped to the bench by Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso for their Champions League opener.
Real Madrid kicked off their league phase with a nervy 2-1 win over French club Marseille at the Bernabeu on Tuesday night.
Alonso opted to start Franco Mastantuono, Arda Guler and Rodrygo in attack, with Kylian Mbappe once again leading the line for the home side.
Vinicius Jr was relegated to the bench after previously starting the 2-1 win over Real Sociedad in La Liga on Saturday.
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Things began poorly for Madrid against Marseille, with Trent Alexander-Arnold forced off after just three minutes through injury - with the former Liverpool man replaced by club captain Dani Carvajal.
Marseille then took a shock lead through Timothy Weah before Madrid equalised courtesy of a penalty from Mbappe after Vinicius' replacement in the team, Rodrygo, was brought down in the area.
Carvajal was sent off in the second half for a headbutt with 20 minutes remaining but 10-man Madrid would go on to snatch victory, Mbappe scoring a controversial second penalty to secure all three points for the home side.
Vinicius Jr was brought on by Alonso midway through the second half, with the game still tied at 1-1, and went close to scoring the winner before Mbappe did minutes later.
The Brazilian took to social media on Wednesday morning to post a cryptic message after his omission from the starting line-up.
He posted a black and white picture of himself leaving the field with his Real Madrid shirt off to his Instagram story, along with the song 'Principles of a Champion'.
It's not clear if Vinicius' post was intended as a message either to Real Madrid fans or Alonso. However, it has raised doubts over the future of the Brazilian, who has been linked with a move away from the club in recent seasons.
Earlier this summer it was reported by talkSPORT that Saudi officials were considering a record bid for last season's Ballon d'Or runner-up, who has stalled on signing a new contract with Madrid.
The report claimed Saudi chiefs were prepared to make a world record offer in the region of €350million [£304m] for Vinicius, surpassing the £200m PSG paid to Barcelona for Neymar in August 2017.
The plan was to offer Vinicius Jr around €1bn [£867m], including bonuses, across a proposed five-year contract.
It remains to be seen whether Saudi chiefs are still interested in signing Vinicius Jr, who is under contract with Madrid until 2027, after his mixed start to the new campaign.
What has Xabi Alonso said about Vinicius Jr?
Speaking after the win over Marseille, Alonso played down the decision to drop Vinicius.
"We need Vini, Rodrygo, Franco, Brahim [Diaz]," Alonso said.
"If there are private conversations, they stay at Valdebebas [Madrid's training ground] or in the dressing room.
"There will be moments for everyone [to play]. Nobody should feel offended if they don't play a game, the calendar is very demanding."
Vinicius Jr could make his return to the starting line-up when Madrid host Espanyol in La Liga on Saturday.
Topics: Vinicius Jr, Real Madrid, Xabi Alonso, Champions League, Football
Rory O'Callaghan