Real Madrid are licking their wounds after suffering a 3-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Supercopa de Espana final on Sunday. Xabi Alonso's men equalized twice on the brink of half-time but Raphinha's deflected effort in the second half meant the Blaugrana claimed the trophy.
It was a dissapointing night for Alonso whose side were second best for large periods of the game in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. There weren't much positives for the Spanish coach to take although Vinicius Junior bounced back from a difficult period.
Vinicius scored the goal of the night, going on a dazzling run before calmly slotting home. The Brazilian's future has been up in the air as of late but last night's performance was one that indicated he is still one of the best wingers in world football.
Madrid must find a resolution over Vinicius
Vinicius had gone 18 games without scoring until last night, when he found the back of the net in style. It meant he joined Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Ferenc Puskas at the top of the rankings of Madrid players with the most goals and assists in finals.
The 25-year-old's contract has been a major talking point as of late, with his deal set to expire in the summer of 2027. There have been suggestions that an exit this summer is a possibility although both the player and the club want an extension.
Vinicius has been at Madrid since 2018 and become a Los Blancos hero in that time, scoring 112 goals in 349 games. That includes the winner in a 1-0 win over Liverpool in the 2022 Champions League final.
The Brazilian has been linked with Chelsea although the Blues are believed to be ruling out a move 'for now'. The pressure is on Los Blancos to either get the player to extend his stay at the Estadio Bernabeu or accept that it might be best to part ways to avoid a year of uncertainty and the possibility of losing him on a free in the summer of 2027.
Vinicius fitness update after Supercopa
Alonso brought Vinicius off in the last 10 minutes of the final and explained that the player had asked to come off. This has raised concerns over his fitness ahead of important games as Madrid look to recover from their Supercopa dissapointment.
According to Diario AS, Vinicius doesn't have an injury but was subbed off because of exhaustion and cramps. But he is a doubt to face Albacete in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday (January 14th).
Alonso can afford to rest the winger for that game given the level of opponent. He will want him at full fitness for upcoming games against Levante (January 17th) and AS Monaco (January 20th).