Updated: 8 May 2026 11:07 BST |
5 min read
Real Madrid’s players are convinced that Vinicius Jr is the mole who is leaking dressing room incidents to the media, as per reports from Spain.
Tensions have boiled over at Real Madrid in recent days, resulting in a physical altercation between midfielders Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde. The latter was hospitalised after a blow to the head.
The Uruguay international will sit out the next two weeks of training due to a “traumatic brain injury” and will therefore miss the upcoming Clasico in which Barcelona can be crowned LaLiga champions if they avoid defeat.
The conflict between Tchouameni and Valverde began in training on Wednesday and continued on Thursday. Shortly before the two clashed, it was revealed that the atmosphere in the Real Madrid dressing room was horrific.
There had already been numerous flashpoints before. Antonio Rudiger allegedly slapped Alvaro Carreras in training a few weeks ago, and Kylian Mbappe later squabbled with a member of the coaching staff. The incident on Thursday was an explosion of months of pent-up frustration.
Vinicius Jr accused of being dressing room “snitch”
The fact that all of these incidents are public knowledge has in itself become a topic of discussion. What happens behind closed doors should stay there, but that hasn’t been the case at Real Madrid for some time now.
All season, there have been damaging leaks that have undermined the club and prevented the players and coaching staff from working in peace. It all started during the brief Xabi Alonso, when it was repeatedly leaked to the media that several players were unhappy with his methods.
The main instigator of the dressing room revolt against the legendary former midfielder was Vinicius Jr. It was no secret that he did not see eye-to-eye with Alonso and that he even went so far as to tell Real Madrid president Florentino Perez that he would not extend his contract as long as the Spaniard was in charge.
The situation has radically changed with Alvaro Arbeloa, who is viewed as something of a yes-man. Vinicius and the former Castilla boss have a close relationship, which has now engendered rumours that the Brazilian is Real Madrid’s dressing room mole.
Mundo Deportivo claims that Los Blancos’ players are convinced that Vinicius has not only been leaking information to the media but that he is also the one constantly keeping Arbeloa up-to-date on dressing room gossip and any incidents that occur in his absence.
The Barcelona-linked outlet asserts that this has only increased the squad’s frustration with the player, which was already palpable in the months leading up to Thursday’s incident. Under Arbeloa, Vinicius has become “untouchable.”
Whether this reporting is true or not, it is clear that Real Madrid’s dressing room is rotten to the core and needs a complete makeover in upcoming transfer windows.
The squad rebelled against Alonso because he wanted to instil discipline and modernise Real Madrid’s methods. Now that the players have once again been given free rein, the squad is eating itself alive.
Related stories:
Valverde issues official statement after Tchouameni leaves him with ‘traumatic brain injury’
Crisis at Real Madrid: Players’ parents complain to Perez amid dressing room feud
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