Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior apologized to everyone apart from manager Xabi Alonso in a statement which was meant to quell the controversy caused by his actions over the weekend but has only supported reports of widespread tension.
Vinícius stormed off in a strop when he was substituted during the second half of Sunday’s Clásico victory over Barcelona. The Brazilian was quoted as shouting: “Always me! I’m leaving the team! I’m leaving, I’d better go!”
This sparked a wave of speculation suggesting that Vinícius was on his way out of the Spanish capital. The mercurial forward did his best to downplay those rumors with a declaration of his affection for the club and their fans, yet his public apology was notably lacking any reference to the man who he stormed past on Sunday.
“Today I want to apologize to all the Madridistas for my reaction when I was substituted in El Clásico,” Vinícius wrote on . “Just as I have already done in person during today’s training, I also want to apologize again to my teammates, the club, and the president.
“Sometimes passion gets the better of me because I always want to win and help my team. My competitive character stems from the love I feel for this club and everything it represents.
“I promise to keep fighting every second for the good of Real Madrid, as I have done since the first day.”
