How Vinícius went from hero to villain for many Real Madrid fans

And yet now, many Madrid supporters have turned their backs on him.

The crowd at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium jeered him loudly during Madrid’s last two homes games. His name was booed when it was announced before kickoff and when he touched the ball during a 2-0 win over Levante last weekend. And the boos were back at the start of the team's midweek game against Monaco in the Champions League.

His strong performance against Monaco, which included a goal and three assists, seemed to somewhat placate the crowd, with the jeering dissipating in the second half.

But with speculation ongoing that Saudi Arabia’s cash-filled league still wants Vinícius, the next few months could be make or break for the player, who is under contract through 2027.

When asked Friday if he expected Vinícius and the club to agree to a new contract extension soon, coach Álvaro Arbeloa said it was not for him to get involved.

“My job is to get the best out of my players, and for Vinícius to keep making history with this club,” said the former Madrid defender, who took over the team earlier this month.

Fans blame Vinícius for Alonso fiasco

Many Madrid supporters point at Vinícius as being one of the main reasons the highly-touted Xabi Alonso barely lasted half a season as Madrid’s coach.

Vinícius was reportedly not happy playing for the former Madrid midfielder, who substituted him more often than predecessor Carlos Ancelotti, under whom Vinícius had thrived. Vinícius apologized to Madrid's fans on social media after his public outburst on being substituted by Alonso in a game against Barcelona in October.

The speedy forward was also deemed responsible for his part in Madrid’s embarrassing Copa del Rey exit to a second-division side in the debut of Arbeloa.

Other players, including Jude Bellingham, have also been jeered, but Vinícius has born the brunt of the fans’ frustrations.

Madrid's superstar Kylian Mbappé made an impassioned defense of Vinícius before the Monaco match, asking fans to not focus their ire on him.

“Vini is a human being,” Mbappé said. “It’s normal to be affected when people speak negatively about you. Sometimes it’s fair, sometimes it’s not. Vini is a fantastic player. He’s an incredible man. ... We as a team have to protect him better so he’s not in this position of being alone against everyone."

Mbappé spoke after images emerged of the France striker apparently consoling Vinícius, who had his head in his hands when he heard the Bernabeu crowd whistling when his name was announced before the Levante game.

Rapid rise

Vinícius arrived at Madrid at 18 on a transfer from Brazilian club Flamengo as a raw talent. He immediately impressed Madrid’s fans with his dribbling speed, but there were doubts he could make it as an elite player because of his ho-hum finishing touch.

The return of Ancelotti to lead Madrid in 2021 coincided with Vinícius having a breakthrough and turning into one of the top forwards in the game. Now he was finishing the slew of scoring chances that he created with his lightning-fast boots on Madrid’s left flank.

He scored the sole goal of the 2022 Champions League final against Liverpool. He also scored in a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in the 2024 final to make it 15 European Cups for the all-whites.

Racist attacks

During his rise into one of the game's biggest stars, Vinícius also became one of the leading voices against racism in Spain after he was repeatedly targeted by racist slurs by opposing fans during away games.

He demanded that La Liga officials do more to stop the abuse and earned praise for not backing away from taunting fans.

But Vinícius’s performance level has dipped since he came up short of winning the 2024 Ballon d’Or award just months after he won a second Champions League. Madrid felt its player had been jilted when he came in second to Manchester City midfielder Rodri and cancelled plans to attend the awards gala.

He also earned the reputation of a player who goads and trash talks opposing players, sometimes to the point where he could lose focus on the game, an attitude which sometimes tested the patience of his staff.

World Cup challenge ahead

Regardless of what happens this season with Madrid, the biggest date on the calendar for Vinícius is the start of the World Cup in North America.

The pressure will be on him to lead a Brazil side now coached by Ancelotti and bearing the country's huge expectations to win a sixth title.

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