Vinicius Jr looked set to become the first Brazilian Ballon d’Or winner in 17 years ahead of last year’s grand ceremony.But Manchester City midfield star Rodri took the crown and less than 12 months later, Vinicius faces a rather difficult spell at Real Madrid. Vinicius hasn’t started in two of Madrid’s opening six games this seasonGettyA Ballon d’Or boycott from the Spanish side suggested they were certain he would win before learning that in, actual fact, he didn’t.After all, Vinicius hit 24 goals and 11 assists in the 2023/24 season that delivered LaLiga, Champions League and Supercopa de Espana titles.The 25-year-old was an ever-present feature of the Madrid starting XI when Carlo Ancelotti commanded on the Bernabeu touchline.However, throughout the opening six matches of the unbeaten Xabi Alonso era, Vinicius is yet to complete the full 90 minutes.He was substituted in the 77th minute of their 2-0 weekend win over Espanyol and cut an angered expression when walking off the pitch.Alonso addressed the reaction after and per Football Espana, he said: “I was a player, and when they took me off… it wasn’t the best time.“I like to be close to the players, to speak about the games and how they felt. I took it normally, naturally. I’m not going to make a big deal out of it.”“The other day, everyone was happy… With the win and the feeling,” he added. “And that’s what we need – to be a team. Everyone understands the role we want for the team, that everyone has to contribute.”Vinicius is joined by a plethora of talent in Madrid that includes Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Dean Huijsen and Thibaut Courtois.Vinicius appeared angry with his substitution on Saturday having assisted a goalGettyThe winger may have to work become a non-negotiable player for Madrid againGettyHe also sits on two goals and two assists for the campaign so far, but it’s clear that Alonso wants to make use of his full squad.With Vinicius seemingly frustrated with missing minutes, European football expert Andy Brassell assessed the dilemma that Alonso faces.Selection and substitution headachesSpeaking on the Trans Europe Express for talkSPORT, Brassell looked to Bellingham as an example of Madrid’s depth after his injury return.The midfielder is one of their biggest and best players, but Alonso is also willing to utilise younger talents over experienced names.Brassell said: “What will happen with Jude Bellingham? Came on for the last couple of minutes of a 2-0 win over Espanyol yesterday. How’s he going to get back into the team straightaway, and how will the team balance with Bellingham, with Vinicius, with Mbappe in it?“And that’s not to mention the other players that they have, and the other players that have thrived, really, in the absence of Jude Bellingham. Alonso has insisted that all players in his squad have a role to playGetty“I’m looking particularly at Arda Guler, who’s been brilliant so far this season and to a lesser extent, Franco Mastantuono, who has been really good on the left-hand side, looked very promising so far.“Of course, they spent a lot of money to bring him over from Argentina, €63million, but he’s looked ready straight away despite being a teenager.“So, they’ve got so many questions and Alonso talked about it afterwards, and he said, ‘Look, I know that Vinicius was annoyed about getting taken off, and Mastantuono was annoyed about getting taken off.“‘But, it’s a squad game, what do you want me to do about it?’ I don’t know if anyone’s ever said that at Real Madrid before but for the first time, they’ve got a coach who’s saying that and means it.”“Can you imagine saying it to Cristiano Ronaldo or Raul in the past?” host Danny Kelly joked.“[Sergio] Ramos is another one. Rain or shine, fit or injured, rubbish or brilliant, they were always in the team.”Would Alonso dare to say the same to club legend and 451-goal man Ronaldo?AFPBack to square one for Vinicius?Having scored 108 goals and assisted 88 across 328 appearances for Madrid, Vinicius has been a crucial part of their continued success.He grew with Zinedine Zidane and shone under Ancelotti but with Alonso now in charge, he faces a new challenge for minutes.Brassell has suggested that Vinicius may need to win over the Spaniard if he is to establish himself as a definitive starter for Madrid.“It does feel as if this season is Vinicius having to prove himself all over again,” he said.“Which is ridiculous, really, for someone who has been, if not the best player in the world, really close for three, four, five years now, but he is in that position, partly because of his contractual situation.“But as the Xabi Alonso reign folds out, it will be very interesting to see where his place in the hierarchy is, because I don’t think it’s totally guaranteed.”Question marks aside, Vinicius is still providing goals and assists for MadridGettyForm up, stocks downAfter missing out on Ballon d’Or glory last year, Vinicius declared on social media: “I’ll do it 10x if I have to. They’re not ready.”He delivered 22 goals and 19 assists in the 2024/25 campaign, which is just shy of the previous tally that tipped him for Golden Ball success.However, according to Transfermarkt, Vinicius has seen the second-biggest decline in player valuation with a loss of €30m [£26m].Madrid’s lack of silverware may have been a factor in such a decline as they missed out on the major domestic and European honours.Vinicius is now valued at €170m [£148m] rather than €200m [£174m], and finished 16th in the 2025 Ballon d’Or rankings.But whilst his value has dipped, Saudi Arabian interest worth €350m [£305m] suggests he could still become a world-record signing.