Real Madrid have two superstars in their arsenal and both are good enough to win the Ballon D’Or in the near future.
Softfootball reported how Real Madrid were bungled out of the FIFA Club World Cup in the semi-final stage via a comprehensive 4-0 beating from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) with Kylian Mbappe and Vinícius Junior summoned.
The pair were berated for their last of effort in the encounter by new manager, Xabi Alonso, leaving the Fiorentino Perez’s led board with a hard choice of trying to renew Vinícius’ contract or allowing him go as they feel both of them can’t function properly in the same team.
Vinícius, who has 18 months left in his current deal rejected the new contract offered to him and wants a salary that matches his status at the club as the most important player of the squad.
However, Real Madrid are skeptical to meet his demands because of his drastic deep in form especially since last season and they fear it might continue into the new season as Alonso plans to build the team around Mbappe.
Positioning
Since arriving Real Madrid from Brazilian club, Flamengo in 2017 for a whopping €46 million as an 18-year-old. The 25-year-old has functioned on the left side of attack for Real Madrid, scoring 106 goals with 83 assists in 322 matches. And just last season he scored 22 goals.
It’s been seven years since Real Madrid's €46m deal for 18-year-old Vinícius Junior 🥹⚪️🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/fQDHBcIgIH
— OneFootball (@OneFootball) July 20, 2025
In his debut season for Real Madrid, Mbappe who also loves playing from the left side of attack scored 44 goals and recorded five assists in 59 appearances. He went on to pick up the La Liga Pichichi Trophy (Golden Boot) with 31 goals and also secured the European Golden Shoe.
The above figures naturally would make any club choose Mbappe as the main man and that is what Vinícius is struggling with at the moment.
Main man mentality
Before Mbappe’s arrival, Vinicus was the main man after Karim Benzema left the club. A lot of football fans even felt he was robbed for the 2024 Ballon D’Or that Manchester City’s Rodri won.
“Arsenal”:
Porque con 3 golazos venció al Real Madrid por 3-0 en la ida de cuartos de final de la UCL.
pic.twitter.com/wWQTFmEhIX— ¿Por qué es tendencia? (@tendenciaporque) April 8, 2025
But following Real Madrid’s huge loss against Arsenal in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League last season, former Los Blancos star Predrag Mijatovic expressed his fear over the rivalry between both players in an interview published by Goal.
He explained:
“Since Mbappe’s arrival, Vinicius has been a little afraid to show who’s better. The goal seems to be to convince Real fans who’s the best. And that’s led to him not performing as expected this season. That’s been very noticeable.”
It has carried on since then and the full negative effect was clear during last month’s Club World Cup when they were scandalously hammered by PSG.
Fan Favourite
Vinicius Jr. used to be the fan favourite at the Bernabeu but he has gradually lost that with his excessive complaints against referee and throwing tantrums after every tackle by opponents.
A huge contrast to Mbappe who just delivers on the pitch regardless of what the score line is. Last season, Mbappe netted a hat-trick in the El Clásico against Barcelona despite the Los Blancos losing the game. The fans love such level of commitment and that has drawn them towards Mbappe more than Vinícius.
In summary, Alonso needs to find a balance of how he plays Vinícius and Mbappe. They are two players that can decide a game on their own. So, it’s in the interest of Real Madrid for both players to find their a good chemistry.
