Xabi Alonso speaks out on Vinicius Junior's substitution strop as Real Madrid boss makes 'different personalities' admission after Clasico win over Barcelona

Vinicius couldn't believe his eyes when his number came up in the 72nd minute as Real Madrid pushed for a third against Barcelona. The Brazil international was furious as he trudged off the Bernabeu pitch, throwing his arms in the air and shaking his head.

The 25-year-old refused to acknowledge head coach Alonso when he came off for Rodrygo and rather than take his place on the bench, he instead headed straight down the tunnel. Vinicius did eventually come back out and sat on the bench for the final knockings of El Clasico.

The match ended on a sour note as tempers flared in the dying embers once Pedri was dismissed for a second yellow for a foul on Aurelien Tchouameni, and Vinicius was involved in a heated confrontation with Barcelona stars Alejandro Balde, Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.

Vinicius had to be held back by a member of the Real Madrid backroom staff, while Alonso sought to defuse the situation after the full-time whistle. And while Alonso has admitted that he will have a "conversation" with Vinicius about his angry reaction to being substituted, he insists there is "no problem" between him and the Brazilian.

Alonso said: "Vini’s character? There are different personalities in any dressing room. Right now we will enjoy the win, then we’ll have a conversation, for sure."

Vinicius' status as a guaranteed starter has come under threat this season, with the attacker having been benched for Real Madrid's Champions League opener against Marseille and in La Liga fixtures against Getafe and Oviedo.

Vinicius also reacted poorly to his 77th-minute withdrawal in the 2-0 win over Espanyol last month. The Brazil international had provided the assist for Kylian Mbappe's second-half strike, yet threw a water bottle to the floor and waved his arms around in disbelief before Alonso pulled him to one side for a chat.

"The only thing Vinicius was missing was a goal," Alonso said of Vinicius' reactoon. "It’s true that he came off the pitch when he was feeling best and I could have waited a bit to replace him, but I understood that we needed fresh players to maintain control. Vinicius wanted to stay on because he was feeling good.

"Franco [Mastantuono] wanted to carry on playing too. He said to me, ‘Are you taking me off?’ And I said, ‘Yes.’ Something similar happened with Vini. He wasn’t very happy, but neither was Franco. It happens to everyone, but I’m very happy with Vinicius’s performance. The schedule is demanding and we have to keep going."

Vinicius is expected to be presented with the chance to add to his five goals and four assists in 2025-26 when Real Madrid welcome Valencia to the Bernabeu for their third successive home game next weekend. Los Blancos have won all five home games this season after Sunday's heated Clasico win over Barcelona and have lost just once all season - a 5-2 defeat at local rivals Atletico Madrid last month.

Real Madrid lost their last home meeting with Valencia 2-1 last season. Vinicius Junior scored Real Madrid's only goal in that loss, and has a decent record against Valencia in the capital, having scored in each of Los Blancos' last four home league meetings with Carlos Corberan's side.

Valencia will make the trip to the capital on a five-match winless run following Saturday's disappointing 2-0 home loss to Villarreal.