Vinicius Jr has had enough. The Real Madrid star wants out, telling people close to him, “I won’t play where they don’t want me,” according to El Periodico and Sport. Both papers cite anonymous sources for this, but the feeling around the club is impossible to ignore.

Things really came to a head at the Bernabeu last Saturday. Madrid’s players got booed when they came out to warm up against Levante, fresh off painful cup exits to Barcelona and Albacete. Two shots at a trophy gone, just like that. But it was Vinicius who took the worst of it. The crowd singled him out, jeering him louder—and longer—than anyone else. Every time he touched the ball, you could hear it. They didn’t go after Bellingham or Valverde like that. This was personal.

Earlier in the day, COPE reported that the club felt good about getting Vinicius to sign a new deal, especially now that Xabi Alonso is gone and Alvaro Arbeloa has taken over as coach. But that optimism evaporated fast. Apparently, Vinicius told his inner circle he doesn’t see the point in staying if the fans don’t want him.

According to Sport, January 17th marked the real breaking point. That’s when things between Vinicius and the Madrid faithful hit rock bottom.

Arbeloa, for his part, is trying to keep things together. Asked about the boos, the new coach promised to back Vinicius and get the best out of him. He said he’ll ask the team to get Vinicius the ball as much as possible because, as Arbeloa put it, “he’s the world’s best player at unbalancing defences.” In his first press conference ahead of the Albacete match, Arbeloa sounded almost grateful. “I’m extremely lucky to have one of the best players in the world. That’s what we want to see—a Vini who enjoys himself and dances. That’s what I want to see.”

But honestly, no one knows how long this will last. If Vinicius gets his spark back, he might not stick around much longer. His contract runs until 2027, but with things this sour, an early exit feels possible.

So where does he go from here? In the past, Paris Saint-Germain and Premier League giants like Liverpool and Manchester City have shown interest. There’s always Saudi Arabia, too, with their clubs ready to throw ridiculous money at him—maybe even enough to rival what Ronaldo makes there.

For now, though, everyone’s watching to see how the Bernabeu crowd treats him when Real Madrid faces AS Monaco in the Champions League on Tuesday. The tension is thick, and nobody really knows what’s coming next.

Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is high on Real Madrid’s wish list as they look for a new manager after Xabi Alonso’s sudden exit.

Klopp, who now heads Global Soccer for Red Bull and oversees clubs like RB Leipzig and RB Salzburg, left Liverpool at the end of the 2023-24 season. Arne Slot took over and managed to win the Premier League in his very first year—a tough act to follow.

Instead of jumping straight back into management, Klopp took a break from coaching and chose a different path with Red Bull.

Now, with Alonso gone, Real Madrid are back in the market. Alonso left after Madrid lost 3-2 to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final in Jeddah. He’d only just arrived from Bayer Leverkusen and got Madrid to the Club World Cup semi-finals, but in La Liga, they’re still four points behind Barca.

So, the rumours started flying. When Sky Germany reported that Klopp was a top target for Real, he got asked if the Spanish giants had called him. He didn’t dodge the question.

“Yeah, there were definitely a few people who reached out to me about the Real Madrid job,” Klopp told ServusTV. “Honestly, I think it just shows something isn’t quite right there at the moment. It’s got nothing to do with me and didn’t make me feel anything. I was surprised; that’s true. A few people messaged me, and I just replied with a bunch of emojis.”

Klopp didn’t hold back about the pressure managers face at Real. Alonso took over from Carlo Ancelotti—a club legend, adored by fans, and a three-time Champions League winner. But six months in, Alonso is already out.

“If Xabi Alonso, who’s really shown what a talented coach he is at Leverkusen—and at his age, with the jobs he’s had, you can say that—gets forced out of Madrid after just six months, it says a lot,” Klopp went on. “First, it shows there’s no time anymore. Second, the expectations at Real are huge. Deciding that right after losing a final to Barcelona says a lot. Plus, we’d all heard the rumours for a while.”

Alonso’s coaching career started at Bayer Leverkusen. He led them to their first-ever Bundesliga title, going unbeaten the entire season. Bayern Munich derailed their title defence the next year, and Alonso moved to Madrid.

Now, former teammate Alvaro Arbeloa has stepped up from Madrid’s Castilla side to take charge.

Alonso admitted things didn’t work out. “It hasn’t turned out as we would have liked. Coaching Real Madrid has been both an honour and a responsibility. I thank the club, the players, and above all, the fans and the Madridista community for their trust and support. I leave with respect, gratitude, and the pride of having done my best.”