Real Madrid and Vinicius Jr’s contract stand-off: A year on, what’s the latest?

Just three days after facing hostility from angry fans at the Bernabeu stadium, Vinicius Junior brought Real Madrid’s home to life on Tuesday with an impressive Champions League performance.

His two assists and goal in the 6-1 win over Monaco earned him the player of the match award. More importantly, supporters were applauding and chanting his name.

“I’m human too,” the 25-year-old told TNT Sports Brasil after the game. “I’ve been very sad. I don’t want to be booed at home, where I feel very comfortable, but in recent games that hasn’t been the case.”

Moments later, sources close to the player — speaking anonymously, like all those consulted for this article — assessed the night’s events as something “necessary” and a “return to normality”.

On Saturday, Madrid fans had made their displeasure plain at the end of a dramatic week for the club, one that saw them lose the Supercopa de Espana final against Barcelona and sack Xabi Alonso, before his replacement Alvaro Arbeloa suffered defeat at second-division Albacete in the Copa del Rey.

Before the 2-0 La Liga win over Levante, the Madrid team bus was whistled by fans in the streets. After kick-off, Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde in particular were jeered relentlessly. Supporters called for president Florentino Perez to resign.

From his comments on Tuesday night, it was clear that Vinicius Jr had suffered. Down on the pitch, he asked fans to stop their whistling in Saturday’s game, as did Kylian Mbappe, but to no avail. And it has all come at a sensitive time for the Brazilian forward and his club.

Vinicius Jr’s contract is due to expire in June 2027. In less than 12 months’ time, he could agree a free transfer to a rival. For Madrid, protecting an asset like him from that possibility is a priority.

For the first time since the summer, he also addressed that issue in his TNT interview.

“I want to stay here for a long time,” he said. “I have a year left on my contract and I’m very calm. I trust the president and he trusts me, we have a very good relationship, and we will reach an agreement at the right time.”

Despite the rollercoaster ride this past year has been, Madrid want to renew his contract — and Vinicius Jr wants to stay at Madrid. But talks first began over this a year ago this week, and still there is no sign of an agreement being reached.

So why is the situation so complicated? And what might happen next? Allow The Athletic to explain.

Vinicius Jr’s main representative was present at the Bernabeu on Tuesday night. That prompted speculation in the Spanish media that talks over Vinicius Jr’s extension were progressing.

Sources close to the player said his agent was at the stadium with his family, and that no talks are scheduled to take place. But they said the sacking of Xabi Alonso does mean they are willing to return to the negotiating table.

Back in October, as exclusively reported by The Athletic, Vinicius Jr told president Perez that he did not feel it would be in his best interest to renew while Alonso was still in charge of the side. That message was conveyed at a meeting called after Vinicius Jr’s outburst during El Clasico on October 26.

With Madrid 2-1 up in the game, Alonso brought Vinicius Jr off in the 72nd minute. The forward reacted very angrily, storming off the pitch and shouting: “Always me. I’m leaving the team, it’s better if I leave, I’m leaving.”

The following week, Vinicius Jr apologised at the club’s training ground in front of Alonso, his staff and the players. That is why it came as a surprise at different levels within the club, including those closest to Alonso, that he omitted Alonso — deliberately, according to sources close to Vinicius Jr — from his apology tweet.

By that time, The Athletic had published a detailed report explaining how Alonso’s approach had created internal tensions with some key players who did not share his footballing ideas.

Under Alonso, Madrid had won 13 of 14 games in the new season, and victory over Barca followed four Clasico defeats in the previous campaign, but in truth it marked the beginning of the end for the Basque coach’s new project. A poor run of results over November and December led to pressure around him increasing, and Perez decided to fire him last Monday.

Alonso and Vinicius Jr never seemed to connect. There had been signs since the Club World Cup back in the summer. For Madrid’s semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain on July 9, Alonso wanted to bench Vinicius Jr, before a late injury to Trent Alexander-Arnold meant his plans changed, with the winger then fielded on the right flank instead of his established role on the left — something he did not appreciate.

In another sign of early tensions, before the start of La Liga in August those close to Vinicius Jr were predicting: “It’s not going to be an easy season.”

Although the relationship between Vinicius Jr and Alonso improved slightly after that Clasico flashpoint in October, he was one of the few players who did not publicly say goodbye to the manager after his dismissal last week.

Arbeloa’s promotion has changed the situation, as both parties have acknowledged. The new coach has defended and praised Vinicius Jr at every opportunity over the past week, so no one was surprised when the Brazilian celebrated his goal against Monaco by giving him a hug.

“As Real Madrid coach, this is very clear: the only thing I’m going to do is work to get the best out of Vinicius,” Arbeloa said in a press conference after the high drama of Saturday’s game. “I’m going to demand that his team-mates look for him because he’s one of the most disruptive players, if not the most, in the world.”

Maintaining his coach’s confidence, and a high level of performance on the pitch, would be two very positive factors towards a renewal agreement finally being reached. However, it is still likely that financial differences will need to be overcome.

Madrid’s board opened talks over Vinicius Jr’s renewal one year ago, in the week of the team’s 5-1 win over Red Bull Salzburg on January 22, 2025.

It was at a meeting at the club’s training ground attended by general manager Jose Angel Sanchez and, on the player’s side, his two agents and his father.

Vinicius Jr earns, after triggering several bonuses such as for winning The Best FIFA award in 2024, around €18million (£15.6m; $21m) net per year at Madrid. The offer made by the club was around €20m after taxes.

After that was rejected, the club asked for a counteroffer, which, when presented, the board did not accept.

At the end of April, several Spanish media outlets reported that an agreement had been reached, even adding dates for when the official announcement would be made. Club sources suggested that this was the direction the deal was heading, while those closest to the player flatly denied it.

The Athletic revealed that Vinicius Jr was asking for a package of around €30million, which included a fixed salary, bonuses for objectives, and a renewal bonus — something unprecedented at Madrid that the club has been reluctant to accept.

At that point, interest in Vinicius Jr from Saudi Arabia had cooled down. In the summer of 2024, The Athletic reported that a Public Investment Fund delegation, working on behalf of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Sport, had made a lucrative proposal to the Brazilian, who did not accept it. Meanwhile, Madrid did not want to negotiate any sale and referred to the player’s €1billion clause.

In negotiations last year, Vinicius Jr’s agents made the point that if Madrid’s unofficial salary cap cannot be broken (there is no formal limit, but a figure in the region of €20m is often mentioned), a player looking to earn more money is forced into seeking a move elsewhere and securing a signing-on fee, as happened with Mbappe when leaving PSG for Madrid.

They also considered that an exception could be made for players who have given a lot to the club.

Madrid have always been extremely cautious about the salary scale, and for that reason they were not keen on the renewal bonus route. Furthermore, they have always wanted Vinicius Jr to recover his real level.

Tuesday night brought tentative signs of that. Both Madrid and Vinicius Jr appear to want the same thing — but the clock is ticking.