Vinicius will bounce back from ‘empty period’: Bellingham from Real Madrid

Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham backed teammate Vinicius Junior to overcome his goal drought ahead of the Spanish Super Cup semi-final against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.

Xabi Alonso’s Los Blancos face Atletico on Thursday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as they look to reach Sunday’s final against Barcelona or Athletic Bilbao.

Vinicius has failed to score in his last 15 appearances for Real Madrid in all competitions, with his last goals coming in October.

The Brazilian forward has not signed an extension to his contract, which expires in June 2027, and has been linked with a possible departure in the summer.

«I think Vini is under enormous pressure as a player and as a person,» Bellingham told a news conference.

Vinicius has sometimes shown his frustration on the pitch, throwing outbursts of anger during substitutions and protesting at officials, opponents and sometimes rival fans.

“All the things he does on the field are pure emotion, and sometimes you forget to look that it’s a human being doing those things,” Bellingham said.

“I think that might increase the pressure of a form block for the goal.

«For me, when I play with him, I still see an electric player who I can give the ball to and who can create something out of nothing. I think goals probably don’t tell the whole story.»

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Bellingham said he and the other Real Madrid players needed to rally around the 25-year-old winger, who finished second in the Ballon d’Or rankings in 2024.

«When he’s at his best, we’re a much better team, and he’s a scary player. We can try to support him in any way we can – that’s our job as teammates, and I’m sure he’ll be back to his best, 100 percent,» he said.

Bellingham said that if he felt Vinicius was doing something that did not benefit Real Madrid, he would speak to the forward.

“He’s not a bad influence on the team, he’s not a bad influence on anything productive that we’re trying to do,” the England international said.

«I have a great relationship with Vini… If I felt like he was hurting us as a team and hurting our ambition as a team, I would grab him and tell him. But I don’t think that’s the case at all.»

“He’s had a bit of a blank spell in front of goal, but like I said, I’m sure he’ll return to his best with a bit of confidence that we can all give him.”

Bellingham said the team also backed coach Alonso, who came close to the sack at the end of 2025 amid a series of shaky results.

“At Real Madrid there is a tendency to go a little bit over the top in the bad moments… with the coach we are all behind him,” Bellingham explained.

“What happens tomorrow will hopefully be a victory for us, but if not, the decisions that will be made will go over my head.”

Published on January 7, 2026