How are we feeling, Real Madrid fans? Not bad for a Monday, eh?
Real Madrid not only beat Barcelona in the most important match in the football calendar, El Clásico, but they did so in convincing fashion.
Real Madrid never went behind at the weekend, both in the scoreline and in their general performance.
There are many shoutouts we could give, but let us give one to a player you might see praised as heavily as he should be after that performance: Take a bow, Éder Militão. It was yet another brilliant display from the Brazilian defender, and it was proof that while offense wins you games, defense wins you titles.
Speaking of the offense, though, they were on pretty good form themselves. Goals from Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé, the usual culprits, were enough to see Real Madrid through.
Make no mistake about Vinícius Júnior either; it was one of his all-time performances. He left Jules Koundé in the dust, and his reaction to being subbed off was probably justified given that he was one of the best players on the pitch.
Vinícius Júnior was quick to address *that* Real Madrid reaction
Vinícius has spoken out about his reaction to being subbed off, as well as commenting on other Real Madrid-involved drama.
According to Fabrizio Romano on X (formerly Twitter), Vini Jr started by addressing Real Madrid fans: “I have a message to all Madridistas, especially those who came to Bernabeu and supported us passionately”.
Vini then added: “This is how the Clásico is; there are many things happening on and off the pitch. We try to maintain balance, but that’s not always possible. We didn’t want to offend anyone, neither the young players nor the fans”.
And that's pretty hard to argue against, really. We all knew it would be a heated affair; it always is whenever Barcelona and Real Madrid meet. El Clásico is regarded as one of the best derbies in the world for that reason.
And players like Vini Jr have even more reason to be heated. This is a new era under Xabi Alonso, and some of the stars in the team have been replaced. Vini is one of them; despite being world-class, Vini is no longer the centerpiece for Real Madrid.
It is important, then, for Vini to have great performances when it matters the most. In his mind, he would have felt like he did everything possible to put himself on a pedestal against Barcelona. Therefore, the subsitution wasn't easy for the Brazilian to take (evidently).
“We know that when we step onto the pitch, we have to play our role, and that’s how it was today. Hala Madrid”, Vini finished.
And that's what it all boils down to, really. Hala Madrid.
Being a Real Madrid player doesn't just mean you have to fight for the badge on your shirt, but fight even harder to prevent the badge on the other shirt. When it comes to Barcelona, this is even more important.
This season's first Clásico was everything we could have hoped for, and more.