Vinicius Booed But Leading: Real Madrid Edges Deportivo in Super Cup Shift
Riazor did not welcome him back gently.
Vinicius Jr. made his first start of Real Madrid’s pre-season in a 1-0 win over Deportivo La Coruña, captaining the side in the Teresa Herrera Trophy, and every touch was met with a chorus of whistles from sections of the home crowd.
It was his first appearance at Deportivo’s stadium. It felt like they had been waiting for him.
The Brazilian, used to hostile away grounds across Spain, barely flinched. With the captain’s armband on and José Mourinho trusting him as the main attacking outlet despite his lack of match rhythm, Vinicius stayed central to everything Madrid tried to build.
Whenever Madrid needed a release valve, the pattern was obvious: find Vinicius. He dropped off the left flank, came inside to receive, and tried to drag his team up the pitch. The rust showed at times. One loose pass in midfield opened the door for a Deportivo counter, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang briefly breaking free before the move fizzled out.
He was not at his most explosive in the final third. No trademark, decisive action near goal. But for Madrid, this was about minutes, not masterpieces. For Vinicius, it was a step – an important one – towards full sharpness before the new season.
The boos never really stopped. Neither did he.
Carreras rides the wave on the left
If Vinicius did not light up the scoresheet, he still bent the game around him.
His constant movement and willingness to receive under pressure pulled Deportivo’s defensive block around, and Alvaro Carreras made the most of the gaps that opened up. The left-back repeatedly surged into advanced areas, using passes from Vinicius as a springboard to attack the byline and whip crosses into the box.
Their connection on that flank was one of the clearest tactical threads of the night. Madrid’s left side became the main route forward, a hint of what could come if Mourinho decides to build more of his attacking structure around that partnership.
Carreras, like Vinicius, became a target for the Riazor whistles. Endrick, too, felt the hostility from the stands after flashpoints involving Deportivo players during the match. The noise framed the contest, but it did not derail Madrid’s work on the ball.
The scoreboard stayed tight. The story, though, was about responsibility: Vinicius as captain, Carreras growing alongside him, and a pre-season that is slowly starting to resemble the real thing.
Spanish Super Cup leaves Saudi Arabia – for now
Far from Riazor, another decision with Madrid at its heart took shape.
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) confirmed that the 2027 Spanish Super Cup will move away from Saudi Arabia and be staged in Istanbul, at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium. It is a significant break from the recent model that turned the Super Cup into a lucrative export to the Gulf.
Ataturk is no stranger to big European nights. It last hosted the UEFA Champions League final in 2023, when Manchester City lifted the trophy.
Officially, the RFEF pointed to the 2027 Asian Cup as the main reason for shifting the tournament. But the backdrop is impossible to ignore: tensions in the Middle East have already forced changes across elite sport, from Formula One abandoning races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and relocating the Qatar Grand Prix to Malaysia, to football now reshaping one of Spain’s showpiece events.
The arrangement comes with a clear caveat. The RFEF has already stated that the Spanish Super Cup is scheduled to return to Saudi Arabia in 2028.
Istanbul stage set: four clubs, one stadium, one grudge
The 2027 edition will have a heavyweight cast.
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad will contest the trophy in Istanbul, with the entire competition played at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium between February 2 and February 7. One city, one venue, four clubs with very different agendas.
For Madrid, it carries extra weight. Barcelona have dominated the competition in recent years, winning three of the last four editions. Madrid’s most recent triumph came in 2024, and since then the balance in this particular showdown has tilted towards their great rivals.
That turns Istanbul into something more than just a neutral backdrop. For Vinicius and this Madrid side, it is likely to be framed as a necessary response, a chance to reclaim a trophy that has slipped too often into Barcelona’s hands.
Hostile whistles in La Coruña are one thing. How will this team respond when the noise in Istanbul comes with a cup on the line?
