For many players, one day playing for Real Madrid is their ultimate dream move. Many grow up watching and idolizing Real Madrid and one day hope to make the prestigious move to the Bernabéu. And for many that do grow up idolizing the club they do eventually end up making their way to the club, but to mixed results most of the time.
Players like Kylian Mbappé, for example, who grew up a loyal Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo supporter, have thrived at the club since making the move last summer. And players like Eden Hazard, for example, get their dream move to the club, and it ends up being a complete disaster.
One player who got their dream move to Real Madrid, and it looked like a disaster in the beginning but has ended up being terrific is Vinícius. For the fans who were around for the early days of Vinícius, we can all admit we questioned the move. He arrived in the summer of 2018 and in his first few years struggled to make any impact and looked like a sure-fire flop.
However, the Brazilian has arguably had the most drastic turnaround of any player in Europe. He has been one of the best attackers in the world and one of the key players for Los Blancos scoring loads of goals, leading the team to incredible success. However, so far this season, Vinícius has struggled under new manager Xabi Alonso, and many in his entourage have the feeling they've been in this same situation before.
Xabi Alonso is reminding Vinícius Júnior of his horrid Real Madrid past
As reported by The Athletic (via Madrid Universal), people within Vinícius Jr's circle feel his situation right now under Xabi Alonso feels very similar to his early days of under Zinedine Zidane, when the coach showed no faith in his abilities on the pitch.
As mentioned earlier, the early days of Vinícius at Real Madrid were rough to say the least. The Brazilian was nowhere near the level he's at today. He struggled to complete the simplest of passes or dribbles and as a result he lost all faith of the manager.
As a result, his playing time became inconsistent; some games he'd start, others he'd be on the bench, and others he wouldn't even play at all. Many close to the player feel he could be heading back down that road under Xabi Alonso.
Let's take Real's last two games, for example, he started on the bench is Real's Champions League opener against Marseille, and he came off in the 77th minute in Real's 2-0 victory over Espanyol this past weekend.
His playing time has started to become less guaranteed, which has started to worry the player and his entourage. The Brazilian was once the main man in the attack; however, after the arrival of Kylian Mbappé, it seems the club has their new star attacker.