Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr. lets his play do the speaking after surprise Champions League benching

Much of the story behind Real Madrid’s improvement this season under Xabi Alonso has been credited to the defense and the incredible form of Kylian Mbappe, but on Tuesday, Vinicius Junior brought a reminder that he can also bring the magic in a 4-1 victory away to newly promoted Levante. This is a match that Real Madrid were expected to win and they took care of business in impressive fashion, not overlooking it for the Madrid derby coming up this weekend.

Vini Jr. scored the opening goal 28 minutes into the match with an outrageous trivela finish that had everyone rooted to the spot. Splitting two defenders and leaving Levante keeper Mathew Ryan frozen, the Brazilian again showed what he can bring to the match in a Real Madrid shirt.

Benched twice in Real Madrid’s last six matches and failing to score in three consecutive matches before his goal on Thursday, questions were looming about whether Vini Jr. was needed. In Champions League play, he showed that he can make a quick impact, drawing a penalty against Marseille that Mbappe converted. Starting against Levante, Vini Jr played a more forward role, taking the attack into his hands.

Later in the first half, he would add an assist, setting up the Argentine Franco Mastantuono for a goal. Mastantuono became the third youngest scorer in Real Madrid history as Alonso continues to get the best out of a deep squad. Mbappe would deliver a brace in the second half, pushing Los Blancos even further out of sight, but it was a look at how Real Madrid can get to their best. They have seven wins in their first seven matches without even hitting top gear.

Jude Bellingham made the bench and was able to come into the match for 20 minutes as Alonso’s squad gets fitter by the day. It will make his job harder, but with Real Madrid needing to navigate midweek fixtures, keeping players rested will be critical. Having Mbappe and Vini Jr. in top form only makes that rotation easier to do. It feels weird to say that a team who are perfect on the season haven’t seen their best form yet, when the third member of their star trident, Bellingham, hasn’t started a match yet after undergoing shoulder surgery during the summer. 

With how important the Englishman is, he’s been brought along slowly, but that has given Arda Guler time to shine. With the Turkish attacking midfielder and Mastantuono both staking their own claims to starting roles, competition for space is there, and if anyone is benched, they’re ready to go.

Looking ahead, facing Atletico Madrid, Kairat Almaty, and Villarreal with only eight days between the matches, rotation will be needed, especially considering Trent Alexander-Arnold’s injury and Dani Carvajal’s Champions League suspension. But in the early going, Alonso has pushed the right buttons to help Los Blancos show that they’re contenders for everything in their path. Getting to 10 wins from 10 matches is more than possible, at which point it will be impossible not to declare Real Madrid well and truly back, and Vini Jr. figures to be a big factor if so.