JAKARTA - A different scene was seen at the Santiago Bernabeu when Real Madrid defeated AS Monaco 6-1 in the Champions League, Wednesday, January 21, 2026.
This time, the cheers beat the whistles. Real Madrid regained the hearts of the Santiago Bernabeu supporters. This victory was a remedy for the wounds caused by the traumatic start of 2026, where Los Blancos lost in two domestic cup events and lost Xabi Alonso, the person who was supposed to lead their new era.
Three days earlier, when Real Madrid hosted Levante in LaLiga, deafening whistles were heard for the home team - and especially Vinicius Junior - as fans expressed their disapproval of the team's direction.
That was the only topic of conversation ahead of the game. However, in the Champions League, it turns out that the atmosphere is different, one of which is driven by Vinicius' performance at his best.
"If they whistle, they should whistle for the whole squad. Don't just target one player. It's a team mistake," said Kylian Mbappe.
"I respect Bernabeu's opinion. I know the Bernabeu audience. We have to turn that whistle into applause," said Alonso's replacement, Alvaro Arbeloa.
"The fans pay for the tickets, work all week, save up to come to a Real Madrid game to support us, they have the right to say whatever they want."
"I think it doesn't always help the team or the individual, speaking from experience now, I know it's not the most pleasant thing in the world, but they are entitled to their opinions," Jude Bellingham said as reported by ESPN.
A few minutes before kickoff against AS Monaco, there was an awkward silence. When the game started - unlike against Levante at the weekend - there was no whistle for every touch from Vinicius or for Bellingham.
It was as if the audience at the Bernabeu had lost their taste for mocking the team, but were also not ready to give their full support.
Five minutes after the match started, Mbappe opened the lead. It was a fluid team movement, even more impressive given how rare such a seamless collective performance is from Real Madrid.
Franco Mastantuono - who looked reinvigorated under Arbeloa, having lost his way under Alonso - delivered a cross into the box for Federico Valverde.
He turned around to pass to Mbappe in an empty space. The goal made Mbappe score two digits in the Champions League this season.
After that, it's all about Vinicius. For him, the Real Madrid player has been the most stressed and in the spotlight in recent months - partly because of his contract extension dispute and partly because of his one-goal record in 19 matches - a positive team performance is not enough to dampen criticism. Vinicius needs to shine individually.
Scoring one goal and creating three assists was successful. That was an individual performance that continued to improve. As Vinicius' confidence increased, the whistles began to fade and were replaced by cheers of support.
Real Madrid's play is so fluid. There are several players who are close to Vinicius' ability to dismantle the opponent's defense in the final third of the field.
In the 26th minute, Arda Guler passed the ball to Vinicius behind the defense on the left side. The Brazilian player gave a cross to Mbappe to add his second goal in the match.
His contribution was convincing enough. Some whistles that were spread out were immediately matched by louder and more encouraging cheers.
That was a good sign of what was to come in the second half. Not long after the break, Vinicius, who was almost face to face with the goal, managed to get past a defender and found Mastantuono to make it 3-0.
Now there were several chants - which were not heard by the entire stadium - "Vinicius Junior" from the supporters section behind one of the Bernabeu goals.
Four minutes later, Vinicius' cross ended in a suicide goal for AS Monaco by Thilo Kehrer. Now he has scored a hattrick of assists, but one thing is missing, namely a goal for himself.
The goal finally came in the 63rd minute. It was a special individual goal, just what Vinicius needed so much.
In the Spanish Super Cup final (Supercopa de Espnaa) earlier this month, he scored a goal of similar quality, but it happened away from home, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and it didn't help because he lost to Barcelona.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid's fifth goal in the match was a goal at the Bernabeu in more than three months. After celebrating with his teammates, there was another very strong symbolic moment, when Vinicius ran up to Arbeloa to hug him.
As is known, Vinicius' broken relationship with Alonso was an important factor in the former coach's departure.
In the player's poor performance, his status as an irreplaceable team member was also questioned during Alonso's tenure. However, Arbeloa has made him feel special again.
"Vinicius has written his history at Real Madrid for years. He has given us two Champions League titles, magical nights. I think he needs to be in his best condition at the Bernabeu," said Arbeloa.
In addition to Vinicius, Bellingham also received similar attention a few days before the match against AS Monaco. The English midfielder was finally able to silence the public.
He scored Los Blancos' final goal, completing a landslide victory, after AS Monaco managed to reduce the score.
It made that night perfect. Real Madrid's three biggest stars - Mbappe, Vinicius and Bellingham - have given their best performances.
The performance and the result should not be considered as confirmation that Arbeloa's Real Madrid is ready to compete with the best teams in Europe. Los Blancos only need to get the support of Bernabeu. They did it in a magnificent style.
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