Toni Kroos knows Vinícius Júnior better than most. After years of sharing the Real Madrid dressing room, the German understands the Brazilian’s temperament, his emotions, and how he reacts once the intensity of the moment fades. In his latest podcast, Kroos analyzed El Clásico and focused particularly on Vinicius’s angry reaction when Xabi Alonso substituted him for Rodrygo.

“When you’re having a great game, especially in a match like that, you’re never happy to be taken off. I never liked being substituted either. But to be fair, I never went straight to the locker room afterward,” Kroos said when commenting on Vinicius’s reaction.

The former midfielder believes only the player himself can truly understand such emotions: “People always judge from the outside, but no one—not even those who were there—can really feel what it’s like to play in a Clásico in front of 80,000 fans with a 2-1 scoreline. You simply don’t want to leave the pitch. Most of those judging him can’t put themselves in his place.”

Still, Kroos, who has seen Vinicius’s passion boil over before, also offered some advice: “Once he calms down, he’ll probably think, ‘Maybe I could’ve handled that better.’ I understand him, but from the outside, it doesn’t look great. Still, emotions run high in matches like that.”

He wrapped up with a reassuring message to Real Madrid fans, suggesting there’s no reason for concern: “I’ve seen this kind of thing many times. You don’t always need to take it so seriously. Coaches usually don’t, especially those who were players themselves.”

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