There has been a bad atmosphere around the Brazilian superstar Vinicius Junior for quite some time. – You can actually trace it all the way back to 2024 when Manchester City star Rodry was named the world’s best player. That was a great annoyance for the then Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti, who clearly thought the Ballon d’Or award should have landed in the Spanish capital.
Vinicius Junior is said to have “warned” Real Madrid that he could leave the club if they sign a player who infuriated him, as rumours of summer transfers begin to take shape. Despite being the biggest club in world football, Los Blancos still have a long way to go before they find their way back to their very best following Carlo Ancelotti’s departure at the end of the 2024/25 season.
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While the club have been proactive in the transfer market – with Kylian Mbappé and Trent Alexander-Arnold being the two biggest names to arrive in recent years – there seems to be a growing imbalance in the squad. With so many star players vying for influence. Xabi Alonso’s decision to step down as manager earlier this year opened up a dressing room environment that has become increasingly difficult to control.
Nevertheless, the club can still overlook the elephant in the room before they enter a crucial summer, where they also have to find Alonso’s replacement. Rumours suggest that Manchester City midfielder Rodri has emerged as the management’s main transfer target. But given the animosity between Rodri and Vinicius after the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony, his arrival could be like throwing a grenade into a dressing room environment already filled with combustible personalities.
Rodri’s signing could make Vinicius Jr ‘leave’ Real Madrid
According to El Nacional, as quoted by Sports Illustrated, Vinicius has given Real Madrid an ultimatum: they can either keep him or sign his opponent Rodri, who has been linked with a possible transfer fee of around £52 million. Eduardo Camavinga is also believed to have the same sensational attitude after the club was shaken by the Spanish midfielder’s beating Vinicius to the Ballon d’Or in 2024.
In the run-up to the Paris ceremony, all signs pointed towards the Brazilian winger winning the award. But with only days left before the Ballon d’Or was given to anyone other than Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, insiders reportedly began reporting that it was actually Rodri who was to be crowned the best player of the year.
After scoring the decisive goal in the Champions League final that season, when Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City completed an outstanding treble, many felt that the defensive midfielder – who also won the European Cup with Spain – was a worthy winner. However, Real Madrid players and staff eventually refused to participate in the ceremony in a boycott, and those close to the club reportedly believe that Vinicius was robbed of the honor.
Vinicius Jr once revealed the only club he would leave Real Madrid for
If we are to believe the report, the aftermath of the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony remains a sensitive topic for Vinicius Junior, who seems to be unwilling to let go of the specific loss. It would then raise the question of where he might end up if Florentino Pérez ignores his pleas to avoid adding Rodri to an already ego-filled Real Madrid dressing room environment.
In January 2024, while being linked with a move to Manchester United, The Mirror reproduced that the now 25-year-old indicated that a return home to Brazil would be the only way he would leave the Spanish giant. “I think I could stay here my whole career, but the club of my life is CR Flamengo,” the winger said in an interview with France Football and L’Equipe. “I promised my father that I would return one day. I have to keep that promise.”
Of course, that attitude could change, given that he is currently in his prime, and a move to Flamengo is likely to be reserved for later in his career, when the spotlight is no longer quite as strong. With 119 goals and 94 assists in 361 appearances for Real Madrid at the time of writing, many of Europe’s top clubs would undoubtedly be chasing his signature.
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