25 August 2025
Brazilian star Vinicius Junior started on the bench for Real Madrid's match against Real Oviedo, a move analysts considered the first strong warning from coach Xabi Alonso to his player. Real Madrid visited Real Oviedo in the second round of the Spanish League this season and won 3-0.
After the match, Alonso said in statements reported by the Spanish newspaper "AS" about securing victory with Vinicius's participation: "I analyze the victory from the perspective of the match as a whole." He added: "We played a very good match. We played at an excellent pace in the first half. We should have continued in the second half, but we retreated because Oviedo took the lead, but we were confident after taking the lead. We played a strong, comprehensive match as a team. Vinicius was fantastic and decisive, and I'm happy for him. We need everyone, whether starters or substitutes. There will be enough matches for everyone."
Regarding the decision to keep Vinicius on the bench, the coach commented: "Every player is different. The relationship between players is a little different in football. You have to understand things well. Decisions are made with the team's best interests in mind, and that's what happened today."
Real Madrid began their campaign with a valuable 1-0 victory over Osasuna, scored by Kylian Mbappé from the penalty spot, in the first step toward defending their coveted title.
With this result, Real Madrid shared the lead with Villarreal and Barcelona, who occupy first and second place, with a perfect score of six points.
