Coach Álvaro Arbeloa praised Vinícius Júnior as a “born leader” following the forward’s impressive double strike in Real Madrid‘s 2-0 victory against Espanyol, which denied Barcelona the LaLiga title.
Heading into the match at the RCDE Stadium on Sunday, Madrid was aware that a loss would hand the championship to Barça ahead of next weekend’s Clásico.
Vinícius scored two fantastic goals in the second half, with assists coming from Gonzalo García and Jude Bellingham, stretching the point gap between the clubs to 11 with four matches remaining in the season.
“He had another great match and scored two excellent goals,” Arbeloa mentioned in the post-game conference. “He led the attack and was a constant threat.”
Espanyol nearly faced a red card in the first half when defender Omar El Hilali was penalized for a foul on Vinícius, which the referee rescinded after a VAR review.
“Every time [Vinícius] got possession, he was aggressive, smart, brave, and persistent,” Arbeloa added. “He continues to put in tremendous effort for the team. He’s an exceptional player and a true leader. Everyone here appreciates him.”
Four out of the five questions posed to Arbeloa in the press conference were about Kylian Mbappé, who is currently sidelined with an injury and has recently been spotted on vacation, according to Spanish media.
“All plans regarding injured players are handled by Real Madrid’s medical staff,” Arbeloa stated when asked about Mbappé’s absence. “They oversee when players need to be at Valdebebas. The players have their free time to spend as they wish.”
When asked if he believed Vinícius demonstrated greater commitment to the team than Mbappé, Arbeloa replied, “I prefer not to compare players. Winning requires the commitment of all our squad. It frustrates me when other teams outwork us.”
“We need every player to give their all in pressing, defending, and attacking; in modern football, talent alone isn’t sufficient,” he continued. “When the players grasp what Real Madrid stands for and integrate talent with hard work, we become the best team in the world.”
Arbeloa did not confirm whether Mbappé would be fit to participate in next Sunday’s potentially title-deciding Clásico at Camp Nou.
“We’ll see how he progresses this week,” Arbeloa concluded. “After last week’s check, we thought it might take longer, but we’ll assess his condition as the week goes on.”