While Real Madrid gathered in a group before their match against Espanyol, in a game where they needed to win to not definitively lose the League to Barça, Kylian Mbappé, who suffered a muscle injury against Betis, landed at Barajas airport after spending some time in Italy. The Frenchman, who the club says is doing "everything possible" to be in the next Clásico on the 10th, reflected a part of the summary of the season for the white team.
"The planning for injured players is handled by the medical services, who coordinate when the players should go to Valdebebas and when not, and from there each player in their free time does what they consider appropriate. I don't get involved in that," Arbeloa expressed.
With a 14-point disadvantage to Barcelona, Madrid was obliged to win at the RCDE Stadium to avoid a Barça celebration and at the same time dodge the guard of honour at Camp Nou. In the dressing room, the reflection in the days leading up was clear: to prolong Barcelona's joy as much as possible, although the feelings, as reported by this newspaper on Sunday, were not entirely positive at Valdebebas, where cracks were beginning to show in the dressing room.
One of these tensions was directly related to Mbappé and the management the Frenchman was making of his injury. And without him, Vinicius, a teammate in the forward line and in the galaxy, shone against Espanyol scoring two goals, playing one of his best games of the season in the league and scoring a goal for the third consecutive match in the competition.
The Brazilian has scored 15 goals in 26 matches in 2026, tied with Lamine as the top scorer in the tournament in that period. The change of coach and the praise from Arbeloa have propelled him after the issues he had with Xabi Alonso, with whom he had only scored five goals. In total, Vinicius has 15 goals in the league, five in the Champions League, and one in the Supercopa, bringing his total to 21. He is two goals away from equaling his best statistic in the league (17 in 21-22), and three from his best year across all competitions (24 in 23-24).
With the double against Cornellà, Vinicius joins a list of stars who scored 20 goals or more in five consecutive seasons with Madrid across all competitions. A classification that the Brazilian shares with Pahiño, Di Stéfano, Puskás, Hugo Sánchez, Raúl, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Benzema. Impressive company.
And the night started with a clash for him. His altercation with El Hilali led to a yellow card for each, the first for the Brazilian for a tussle and the second for the Moroccan after a challenge that initially Gil Manzano punished with a straight red. It was overturned by VAR, but the argument was already on the table. The local fans targeted Vinicius, who as always did not shy away from verbal duels with his opponent and the referee while Madrid struggled.
However, something changed after the break, as the Brazilian transformed to seal the game in 10 minutes with two fantastic goals. The first after a great feint that evaded two opponents and the second with a brilliant shot into the top corner.
"Vinicius has once again played a great game, being the leader and a total threat. Very aggressive, intelligent, and brave. A natural leader, everyone loves him, and he is a great person," said Arbeloa, who did not want to compare his commitment to that of Mbappé: "I do not doubt the commitment of any of my players. They know how important these games are, no player is bigger than Real Madrid," he added.
The goals from the forward, who found a good connection with Gonzalo, who started on the bench, eased Madrid's Sunday. A night that had started with issues due to Mendy's new injury. The Frenchman lasted 10 minutes before suffering a quadriceps injury.
The full-back has not started three consecutive matches since November 2024, a key factor in the defensive weakness of the white team. In his place, Fran García came on, Arbeloa's choice over Carreras. A decision that responds to the tension, as reported by this newspaper, between the Galician full-back and the coach, who had a confrontation a couple of weeks ago.