Vinicius Junior has begun to lose some of his standing within Real Madrid, amid a renewed rivalry with Kylian Mbappe. The last three matches told the story: a clear advantage for the French star in terms of minutes played, coinciding with a dip in the Brazilian winger's numbers at the start of the season.
According to a report published by the Spanish newspaper "Marca", Vinicius came off the pitch in three straight matches: against Inter in the 87th minute, Rayo Vallecano in the 89th, then Elche in the 68th. That reflects a gradual shift in Jose Mourinho's thinking compared with the start of the season.
Mourinho had wanted a careful balance between Vinicius and Mbappe in the first four matches. Both started against Espanyol, Real Sociedad, Malaga and Real Betis, and the gap between their minutes played never exceeded six.
Then the picture changed. Mbappe has now played 630 minutes against 598 for Vinicius, and the Frenchman has completed six matches to the Brazilian's three.
All this comes with Mbappe enjoying a blistering goalscoring start, having netted 8 goals in 7 matches. Vinicius, by contrast, has managed just one goal and 3 assists, plus a penalty won against Real Betis.
His decline is not limited to the numbers. Competition for his position has intensified with the impressive form of Brahim Diaz and Espi, then the arrival of Diomande on the scene. That gives Mourinho extra options and makes keeping the two stars in balance far harder.
Yet Marca's report does not view the situation as having reached the crisis stage seen last season between Vinicius and Xabi Alonso over the player being hauled off so often. The Brazilian remains central to Mourinho's plans.
The newspaper points out that the rivalry between Vinicius and Mbappe has followed similar patterns in past seasons, one shining while the other faded.
Last season, Vinicius struggled through the first half while Mbappe was at his peak. The scene then flipped later on, with the Brazilian in fine form and the Frenchman's output tailing off.
This season, Mbappe has once again begun to impose himself, while Vinicius is still chasing his best version. Slowly, that has fed into the balance of minutes and playing time between the pair.
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