Why not starting Vinicius Jr. in Real Madrid's opening Champions League match was a mistake by Xabi Alonso

Real Madrid are not ready to play without Vinicius Jr. when it comes to these kinds of matches. Xabi Alonso decided to drop the Brazilian star from the starting 11 of the Blancos' opening match of the 2025-26 Champions League season, showing big confidence in the other players of the roster, starting with Franco Mastantuono and Rodrygo, as both started alongside French star Kylian Mbappe. Despite securing a 2-1 win through Mbappe's brace, both from the penalty spot, Real Madrid showed they are still not fully prepared to face high-stakes matches without their Brazilian star, Vinicius Jr. As a matter of fact, after the opening goal of the match scored by American international Timothy Weah , the second and crucial penalty of the game came from an individual play of the Brazilian winge