Déjà ViniciUs: Real Madrid sees what happens without Mbappé

It happened again. The feeling that increasingly hangs in the air. What has become a challenge to the fable: a hare beating the tortoise. It has happened on so many nights now that it is far more the rule than the exception: without Mbappé, Vinicius is different. From there, the debate has a thousand angles. But that statement is undeniable. He steps forward; he leads more, decides more. He takes on a greater burden of responsibility and does not seem stiffened by it. Cornellà proved it again. It was a reminder of the ability he possesses to command and decide games. After all, this is the man who scored in two Champions League finals. Perhaps Vinicius is more Batman than Robin. Last night brought a déjà vu. This Vinicius also exists. The one from a few years ago, from so many years ago. He is still here.

His game was diesel-powered, like the team’s. After a first half that will not enter the history books of the sport, the second half arrived. One that reaffirmed the thesis. Vinicius, leader. Vinicius, standard-bearer. He scored two outstanding goals. The first came after a spectacular one-two with Gonzalo, shaking off the second defensive line with a feint and finishing with extraordinary calm. The second was probably better, after a Guti-esque backheel from Bellingham and a first-time right-footed strike that found the top corner. Vinicius Superstar.

In everything

But his night went beyond the goals. He was the player with the most shots (three, two of which ended in the net and one hit the post), the most passes in the final third (20) and the most fouls won (eight, twice as many as the next player, Bellingham).

Bite to avoid the guard of honor. And a multi-tasking display that strengthens him for the final stretch of the season. The finishing was his; the assists were his too... the epicenter of a Real Madrid side living without Mbappé, who landed in Madrid 12 minutes before kickoff. And there will be much talk about that. A lot.

“A natural leader”

But without him, there was Vinicius. Arbeloa devoted warm words to him in the press room: “He has had another great game, scoring two great goals and being the leader of the team’s attacking area. A total threat every time he gets the ball, very aggressive and intelligent. As I always say, very brave and consistent.

“It was a game in which he did a great job helping out at the back, something I always appreciate. What I’ve been saying all these months: a fantastic player, a natural leader, a teammate everyone loves, a great person... I’m very proud to have him as a player. The truth is that I’m extremely lucky.”

“The No 1”

He also posted on social media: “To the death with this club. We have to keep going! We’ll return to the top.” A message that goes beyond three sentences. A post that, beyond the leadership it conveys, stands out for the replies it drew. Many of his teammates and former teammates praised him – Bellingham, Lucas Vázquez, Palacios, Fran García, Endrick, Joselu... – but Benzema’s reaction was especially powerful: “The No 1.”

Tireless

Vinicius has played in 50 of Real Madrid’s 52 games this season. Last night he equaled Güler’s mark – he also has 50 – and will surpass him in the Clásico to become the team’s player with the most appearances this campaign. He has not suffered any injury. Only a scare with Brazil during the March break. And in Cornellà, with his brace, he reached 20 goals for the fifth consecutive season. He now has 21. He did it in one of his best versions of the season.

One without Mbappé. In fact, Gonzalo’s introduction gave him a boost. The job a more traditional penalty-box No 9 does in pinning center backs frees him from markers and offers him a route for combination play that he does not have with Kylian. The numbers are there: Vinicius had not scored an away brace in LaLiga since March 2024, at El Sadar. A long, very long time. Too long for him. “We played and fought together... and that makes us better, stronger; when we play like that, I have the chance to score goals,” Vini himself admitted inside the RCDE Stadium.

Only behind Kane

The numbers are there. Vinicius has scored 15 goals in 23 games under Arbeloa since his arrival on January 12. Under Xabi Alonso, he scored seven in 33 games. Whatever analysis can be made of that relationship, it is undeniable that it did not work. And now Vinicius is the opposite of that version. He has 16 goals in 2026: in Europe, only Kane has scored more, with 24. He has just overtaken Lamine Yamal in that statistic, with 15.

In short, Cornellà recalled what perhaps had been forgotten, though not entirely: Vinicius has the ability to lead and decide games for Real Madrid. And time is refuting one thesis: when Mbappé is absent, that is when this version most often appears. For one reason or another, it happens. On Sunday night, with Real Madrid knowing that one false step would mean definitively handing over the title and stirring the earthquake of a possible guard of honor, it happened. It happened again. Vinicius, shining without Kylian. The hare beating the tortoise. Vinicius being the player of a few years ago. The one from Saint-Denis, the one from Wembley. A leader. Cornellà, indeed, was a déjà vu.

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