At a glance
- Bayern Munich beat Real Madrid 4-3 in a Champions League quarterfinal second leg and 6-4 on aggregate.
- Tensions ran high at the Allianz Arena, with Vinicius caught telling teammate Jude Bellingham to “shut your mouth”.
- The fall out points to structural problems in the Spanish capital.
Cameras caught Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr. telling Jude Bellingham to shut his mouth during Wednesday’s Champions League quarterfinal second leg defeat at the Allianz Arena.
Los Blancos put up a brave fight in Bavaria, and appeared set for extra time by winning 3-2 on the night and drawing 4-4 on aggregate.
After Eduardo Camavinga received a red card, however, goals followed from Luis Diaz and Michael Olise which dumped the 15-time winners out and booked a semifinal date with holders Paris Saint-Germain for Bayern.
But there is trouble in paradise, as Madrid close in on concluding a second season without major silverware.
As Madrid chased another goal in the 82nd minute, Vinicius had trouble dribbling an outstanding Dayot Upamecano and a Bellingham waiting in the box for a cross let him know what he thought.
Cameras picked up Vinicius’ not too pleasant response to the Englishman. “What do you want? Shut your mouth,” the Brazilian said.
Vinicius receives criticism from Real Madrid fans
On X, comments left on the post of the incident by Spanish broadcaster Movistar singled Vinicius out.
“What [he’s] doing is already embarrassing; he doesn’t help his teammate, he wages his own war, and his only interest is his own before that of the team… I’m a Madrid fan but I don’t want him on the team anymore…,” one angry Madridista remarked.
“I’d only put him on in the second half to run when the team no longer wants to play. He’s not worth it to play in Madrid. He’s a player who hogs the ball the whole match just to get one in. That’s why we don’t beat anyone by three goals,” said another.
He had his defenders too, though. “Are all the Madridista press gonna come out swinging at Vinicius now or what? The kid is the reason you’ve made it to the quarterfinals; if it were up to your [Kylian] Mbappé, you wouldn’t even get past the round of 32,” an onlooker tweeted.
But what’s clear is that something needs to change in Valdebebas. Vinicius insists that he’s determined to sign a new contract past June 30, 2027, while Bellingham and Mbappe are also on long-term deals.
It seems less a case of booting one out the exit door, and more finding a way to make three superstars gel better and work harder for the team and one another.
