The reason behind the rift at Real Madrid? An unbelievable lack of respect revealed

Vinicius Belingham

Real Madrid is spiraling into chaos on the eve of El Clásico. The club's trophy-less season has players sniping at one another, and the fault lines were set months ago.

Antonio Rüdiger versus Álvaro Carreras. Fede Valverde versus Aurélien Tchouameni. Kylian Mbappé versus an assistant coach. And now, it seems, everyone against everyone else. The rift within the Real Madrid squad has reached dramatic proportions. 

Spanish sports papers can barely keep pace with the sensational headlines. By contrast, the so-called FC Hollywood era at Bayern Munich in the 1990s now looks like a children's birthday party. The latest—and most serious—episode came when Valverde, after an altercation with Tchouameni, was taken to hospital with a head injury. 

Reports claim no punches were thrown; the club's nominal captain simply hit his head on the table. Even so, such incidents confirm that something has gone seriously awry at the Bernabéu.

According to a report in Marca, citing insider information from the Real Madrid dressing room, the deep rift between individual players in the squad is said to have been caused by the resignation of former manager Xabi Alonso. Tensions rose in October as several key players—Vinicius Junior and Fede Valverde among them—openly criticised Alonso's regime of lengthy tactical sessions and video analysis.

However, another camp backed Alonso's methods and his drive to overhaul the system and playing style. For them, the constant gripes—especially from Vinicius—were a pretext; the Brazilian's status had slipped compared with his position under Carlo Ancelotti. 

Although Vinicius remained a key part of the squad under Alonso, he started only 13 of 33 competitive matches and came on as a substitute four times. As a result, he completed the full 90 minutes in just nine appearances and increasingly operated as a playmaker, providing 10 assists. By contrast, under Arbeloa, Vinicius has already scored eight more goals in ten fewer matches and has been substituted only three times in 23 outings.

One such swap sparked Vinicius's now-infamous Clásico outburst at the end of October, a moment Marca marks as the season's tipping point. Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga are among those who reportedly agreed, feeling Alonso's methods were sapping the squad's form.

The disrespect from a faction of the squad towards Alonso allegedly reached a point where some players feigned sleep during tactical meetings and chatted through his presentations. That not only infuriated the coach's supporters in the dressing room but also triggered a public meltdown from Alonso, who remains without a club. "I didn't realise I'd walked into a nursery school here," the stunned Alonso is said to have shouted at one point.

Real Betis Balompie v Real Madrid CF - LaLiga EA Sports

Real Madrid stars are reported to have given Álvaro Arbeloa a couple of dubious nicknames.

Real Madrid's trajectory thereafter was clear: defeat in the Supercopa final against FC Barcelona in early January cost Alonso his job, despite a points-per-game average of 2.24 and sitting just three points behind Barca in LaLiga. He was replaced by Álvaro Arbeloa, then manager of Real Madrid Castilla. 

Yet the change made no immediate impact. In Arbeloa's first match in charge, the Whites were humiliated by second-tier Albacete and eliminated in the Copa del Rey's round of 16. Their Champions League campaign stalled in the quarter-finals against Bayern Munich, and in LaLiga they risk further embarrassment this Sunday in El Clásico. With four matches left, Real trail their Catalan rivals by 11 points, meaning Barca need only a draw in the head-to-head to secure the title.

It is now an open secret that Arbeloa will be replaced as manager at the end of the season. According to Spanish radio station Cope, he has also lost the dressing-room respect. Journalist Manolo Lama reports that the Spanish players who rarely feature have given him a dubious nickname: "Cono". A "cone" or "traffic cone". "Look at that traffic cone, he's so bad; look at that traffic cone, he just doesn't get it," the players on the bench are reported to say about him behind Arbeloa's back. 

mourinho

Real Madrid are reportedly looking to bring Jose Mourinho back as manager.

With Alonso's resignation and Arbeloa's imminent exit, the key question is: which coach is bold enough to reunify a squad torn by deep animosity and a apparent lack of respect, then motivate it to perform at its best?

Recently, Jose Mourinho's name has been repeatedly linked to the club. The Athletic reported that a return for the legendary Portuguese coach was President Florentino Perez's preferred option. Sebastian Hoeness of VfB Stuttgart was also frequently mentioned as a candidate to replace Arbeloa. 

Sky now reports that a return for Mourinho is indeed likely. According to the outlet, Real officials met with his management team earlier this week, and direct contact has already been made with the 63-year-old. However, he is said to be demanding "full control" and "a major say in transfers".