MIAMI, United States: One of the reasons Real Madrid ended last season without any major trophies was the sudden decline in the performance of its main striker, Vinicius Junior.
Instead of competing for the Ballon d’Or award while helping Los Blancos win the Champions League and La Liga in the 2023–24 season, the Brazilian appeared to be sinking as Madrid ended the Carlo Ancelotti era in second place behind arch-rivals Barcelona.
However, new coach Xabi Alonso is pleased to see Vinicius shine again as Madrid progress to the last 16 of the Club World Cup, where they will face Juventus early on Wednesday morning.
If Vinicius is able to perform at his best, plus Kylian Mbappe’s return after recovering from a gastrointestinal problem, Madrid are believed to have a potent enough attacking line to win the tournament.
Vinicius scored a goal and created another for Federico Valverde in a 3-0 win over Salzburg, ensuring Madrid emerged as Group H champions and avoided facing Manchester City, who are seen as the strongest team so far in the United States.
“I’m very happy because Vini, like any striker, needed that goal,” Alonso said.
Vinicius is currently in the process of negotiating a new contract with Real Madrid, with his current contract still running until 2027.
“I hope to stay here for a long time. I’ve always said this is my life and death club,” Vinicius said earlier this week.
“I’m very comfortable with the coach and all the staff here, so I hope I can stay.”
Madrid want to ensure Vinicius is compatible with Mbappe, without compromising the team’s defensive balance.
Los Blancos will face Juventus in Orlando with the hope of reaching the quarter-finals and may be strengthened by the return of Mbappe who will have the opportunity to team up with Vinicius for the first time under Alonso.
Mbappe missed all three previous group matches and was hospitalized due to acute gastroenteritis, but has returned to training as usual in the past few days.
Alonso believes the two stars can work together, although initially there were problems because they were often in the same area of the field.
Mbappe finally found his rhythm and finished last season with 43 goals in all competitions, while Vinicius scored 22 goals without really reaching his best form.
“They can do it – Vini plays on the wing, Kylian more in the middle… it’s not a big problem, because there is a very high level of individual quality. What’s important is that the team works,” Alonso explained.