Ex-Real Madrid midfielder says clásico outburst understandable but the Brazilian will wish he had handled it better
Toni Kroos has come to the defence of Vinicius Junior in the Real Madrid winger’s clash with manager Xabi Alonso.
Vinicius reacted angrily to being substituted in the club’s 2-1 win over Barcelona, and Kroos said his former teammate’s frustration was understandable given the circumstances.
The Brazilian was visibly upset when his number went up in the 72nd minute of Sunday’s clásico at the Santiago Bernabeu, shaking his head in disbelief and heading straight down the tunnel before later returning to the bench.
His reaction has drawn criticism in Spain, and reports suggest his relationship with Alonso has become even more strained. Vinicius has played full-time in only three games out of 18 since the Spaniard took over from Carlo Ancelotti in the summer.
“I never liked being substituted either,” Kroos said. “But to be fair, I never went straight to the dressing room.
“You can always judge from the outside, but nobody, except those who are there, playing a clásico in front of 80,000 people with the score at 2-1, really knows.
“The last thing you want is to go off. Nobody who’s judging [Vini] can imagine it. Most people simply can’t put themselves in his place.
“With a bit of distance, he’ll probably think, ‘I should control my anger inside a bit more.’ I can understand it. It doesn’t give the ideal impression, but it’s an exceptional emotional situation.”
Alonso downplayed the incident after the game, praising Vinicius’ performance and insisting that any discussion between them would remain internal.
“We’ll talk about it,” Alonso said. “I’ll focus on the positive things in the game and the good things from Vini. I don’t want to move the spotlight away from what’s important. Vini contributed a lot.”
