Real Madrid will sack you — Simeone and Vinicius exchange words in Supercopa de Espana clash

The fierce rivalry of the Madrid derby travels wherever Atlético and Real Madrid meet. It followed both sides to Saudi Arabia for the Supercopa de España semi-final, with tempers boiling over as Diego Simeone and Vinícius Júnior exchanged words.

Los Blancos beat their crosstown rivals 2-1 in the semi-final of the Super Cup, thanks to goals from Federico Valverde and Rodrygo, to book a final against a Barcelona side they have already beaten this season.

The Madrid derby is one of the most heated rivalries in Spain, with friction between Diego Simeone (Atlético’s coach) and Vinicius (Real’s star winger) having defined their most recent matches.

In the first-half of the game, Simeone can be heard telling Vinicius, "You’re going to get sacked by Florentino Pérez. Remember what I’m telling you,” taunting the Brazil star who is in a contract standoff with the club.

Vini was replaced with Arda Güler in the 81st minute, and while he walked off, there were jeers from the Alinma Stadium, Jeddah, with mostly Real Madrid fans in attendance. As that happened, Simeone took another shot at Vinicius, saying, "Listen, listen,” as he gestured, pointing to the crowd. 

That action enraged Vinicius and the Real Madrid bench. Simeone and the former Flamengo man were both shown yellow by the referee, Mateo Busquets Ferrer.

The exchange did not end after the final whistle, with Vinicius getting a word in via Instagram. “Simeone has lost another knockout game,” Vinicius said in the comment section of a Fabrizio Romano post in which he was reporting the incident.

During the post-match presser, Simeone was asked about what transpired between himself and Vinicius, and he refused to share details, saying, ‘Vini Jr.? I have nothing to say. I’ve always said, ever since I was a player, that what happens on the pitch stays on the pitch. Nothing to add."

Asked what he said to Carvajal amid the commotion, he said, “I have tremendous respect for Carvajal and for all the Real Madrid players. I told him very clearly what could be seen from the outside and what is happening to all of them.”

Atletico next face their city rivals in the LALIGA return leg at Santiago Bernabeu. Los Cochoneros won the first match, a 5-2 drubbing at Wanda Metropolitano. In the meantime, Real Madrid’s focus shifts to another El Clasico final set to be played on Sunday, January 11.