You know when it became really obvious that the sun was setting on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s Liverpool career? It had nothing to do with the transfer links, the fist-pumping after big games or even his own silence on his future – it was all the talk of individual trophies. “I want to be the first right-back to win the Ballon d’Or,” he told FourFourTwo in an exclusive interview – before reiterating that ambition upon signing for Real Madrid.
But come on, where is the logic in that? Why would you go to Real Madrid to stand out? Eight Los Blancos players have lifted the award – more than any other club – and in this day and age, the voters usually just converge upon a star of whoever has won the Champions League. But as was dramatically proven in 2024, that’s where your colleagues can split the vote. Although he’d scored in the Champions League final that year, if Vinicius Jr had scooped team-mate Dani Carvajal’s votes, he’d have comfortably beaten Rodri. That Jude Bellingham was also an option that year confused things further.
It’s something that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez failed to grasp when it came to the Super League: if everyone’s absolutely huge, then no one is. And now, Vinicius himself has seemingly fallen into the same trap.
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It’s not just about the Ballon d’Or, either. With goals in two Champions League finals, it would be utterly churlish to suggest that Vinicius has been anything other than a huge success at Real Madrid, ascending to a level where he is regarded, if not as the best left-winger in the world, then certainly one of a handful of footballers on Earth whose transfer saga could spark such interest. He is a superstar of the highest echelon. He is special.
But arguably, the best has already happened in Madrid for the Brazilian. And it happened before Kylian Mbappe arrived.
You can bring out the numbers to support your argument (and we will). Vini averaged over 60 touches per 90 minutes alongside Karim Benzema, which dropped to 50-something next to Mbappe. The goals have dropped slightly, too… but frankly, Vinicius will know this himself, with his team having conducted thorough analysis themselves as to which club would suit his profile. His output has dropped – but not massively – because he’s an elite footballer. And rather like most things at the Bernabeu, no one will concern themselves with nerdy numbers.
But it’s an obvious fact that the club is no longer Vinicius Jr’s. This is Kylian Mbappe FC, now: another left-sided winger-cum-striker, who Real coveted for so long that they didn’t give much thought as to how he would play with the superstar that they already had at home. When everyone is massive, no one is – as Vini found out to his chagrin last season, when Xabi Alonso hauled him off in the Clasico.
It’s not that Vinicius is no longer a big deal in Madrid: he clearly is, as his new contract will “reflect his status”. Even the wording of that, however, makes it clear that Mbappe is top dog.
Should it come to it, perhaps Jude Bellingham is higher in the pecking order, too – given that he’s better off the ball. The game is changing. Having two players like Vini and Mbappe is now seen as a throwback to the Galacticos, with Madrid having suffered two trophyless seasons and serious questions raised over who will step up and put in the work out of possession. Jose Mourinho could well be the final roll of the dice from Perez – one last go at conquering Europe again through aura alone – after getting in an actual tactician in Alonso failed.
And while one can never write off Real Madrid, it certainly seemed like the perfect chance for a clean break for all involved. Mourinho needs 10 players to work their backsides off for Mbappe. Vinicius has achieved everything at Real and doesn’t need to prove himself much further – or to a manager who asked, “Why celebrate like that?” when Vinicius Jr was allegedly racially abused by one of his own players. Los Blancos were looking at collecting a nine-figure fee for a player who arguably causes more tactical headaches than he solves problems. It would have been a statement that no one is safe in this new regime.
Ousmane Dembele had a similar conundrum. The Frenchman was brought to Barcelona to service Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez: he moved to Paris Saint-Germain, and not unlike Vini, he was relegated to being Mbappe’s sidekick.
As soon as he was given his own spotlight, he thrived. He won a team their first Champions League, instantly writing his name as a legend of that club. He lifted the Ballon d’Or and immediately took on more importance for his country, having been substituted in the first half of a World Cup final in 2022. Dembele is not just a better player than he’s ever been before; he’s a bigger player, too, because he’s had the time and space to stand out on his own away from other stars.
Vinicius could have had a similar glow-up at Arsenal: a team geared towards playing for him, with the best out-of-possession structure in world football to mop up for him. The Gunners reached the Champions League final without a killer up front – arguably, without an A-list star of any kind – and Vini had the opportunity to be that player. He could have been the face of the biggest league in the world.
And were Arsenal to win the Champions League, the man who wins it for them becomes a shoo-in for the Ballon d’Or. Winning it is a big if – but it shrinks a little with a player like that in your team.
Instead, Vini has opted for the same path that Rodrygo chose last summer when he was rumoured to be offered a route out of Madrid. To remain one of several superstars in a team who will always prioritise other names. A team who are in the midst of a rebuild and not exactly patient when it comes to transition. A team whose big plan to reclaim the Champions League comes courtesy of post-Fenerbahce Mourinho.
It would have been nice to see some bravery, anyway. The next time he’s thinking about leaving Spain, there might not be such big interest in him.