Overview
- Real Madrid beat Sevilla 2-0 at the Bernabéu to close the year, with goals from Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé.
- Mbappé’s strike equalled Cristiano Ronaldo’s Real Madrid mark of 59 goals in a calendar year, and Alonso praised the forward’s consistency.
- Sections of the home crowd loudly booed Vinicius Jr, who later changed his Instagram profile image from a Madrid shirt to a Brazil shirt and posted an ellipsis.
- Vinicius flew to Dubai hours after the match for pre-planned promotional work linked to the club’s partnership with Dubai Tourism, with Spanish reports indicating a return to training on December 29.
- Teammates and club leadership signalled support for Vinicius, with Diario AS reporting a united squad and Defensa Central reporting a reassuring call from president Florentino Pérez, as Alonso said fans are free to express themselves.