Thibaut Courtois' statements after the Real Oviedo-Real Madrid (0-3) for the second matchday of LaLiga show the Belgian's disagreement with Vinicius Jr.'s actions during the match at the Estadio Carlos Tartiere.
The Madrid '1' declared to 'Movistar+': "the reception has been very nice. It had been a long time since we played here and it means a lot to them. They are a great fan base and a great stadium to play in Primera. In Oviedo there are many people who are Real Madrid fans".
The Belgian's words contrast with Vini's attitude, who since his entry in the 63rd minute for Rodrygo Goes made several provocative gestures to the Asturian stands, calling Oviedo a "Second Division" team.
The origin of the controversy: gestures, boos and a tense celebration
'Vini' was decisive in the result after providing an assist for Kylian Mbappé to score his second goal after a steal of the ball very close to the rival area, in addition to scoring a goal in added time from a pass from Brahim Díaz.
However, the Madrid '7' is once again in the eye of the storm, since from his entry onto the field he received boos from the 'Carbayones' fans after certain gestures from the player to the stands referring to a new relegation of the team in 25/26.
Even during the celebration of his second goal, 'Kiki' had to cover Vinicius' mouth due to a confrontation he had with the fans in the Real Oviedo stands in order to prevent him from getting a second yellow card, after having received the first in the 80th minute for simulating a penalty.
Courtois' statements: a praise that was read as a reproach
The truth is that Courtois' statements, with praise for the Asturias team and its fans, show the rejection that Vinicius' attitudes on the field produce in the Belgian goalkeeper and a sector of the dressing room.
The Belgian's words, together with Mbappé's covering of 'Vini's' mouth, show the wear and tear and a possible 'break' in the 'White House' dressing room. The Brazilian '7's continuous confrontations with rival players and fans are an unsolvable problem for Madrid in each matchday of La Liga.
Real Oviedo's last season in the First Division of Spain was 2000-2001, so after 24 years of losing the category they achieved promotion again and will seek to fight to stay in LaLiga.
In that sense, 'Vini's' gestures have much more weight for the Oviedo fans after the prolonged time they were in Segunda. The 'Carbayón' team will have a difficult season ahead and after two matchdays they still have not added points in their return to LaLiga.
For his part, Xabi Alonso has an arduous job to keep the 'merengue' dressing room stable and prevent what are in principle 'disagreeing statements' from turning into internal conflicts and subsequent confrontations. In 24/25, Vinicius received 8 yellow cards and one red card in 30 matchdays of La Liga. On Sunday, Ricardo De Burgos spared him the first expulsion of the year.