Real Madrid beat Atlético Madrid 2–1 in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final, but the biggest talking point of the match was the touchline clash between Atlético head coach Diego Simeone and Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior. During the game in Saudi Arabia, the two were involved in a kind of “personal duel” — one battling on the pitch, the other directing from the sidelines — with Simeone repeatedly trying to influence the Brazilian from outside the field.

Near the end of the first half, Simeone was seen apparently exchanging trash talk with Vinícius. According to reports, he shouted from the touchline: “Florentino will get rid of you — remember what I’m telling you.” As the match went on, the confrontation cooled slightly, but before half-time Simeone again showed his frustration on the sidelines, this time directing his anger toward Dani Carvajal, keeping the atmosphere tense.

In the 81st minute, when Vinícius was substituted and walked toward the bench, Simeone once again shouted at him from the technical area, pointing to the stands and saying, “Listen to how they’re booing you.” This immediately sparked a reaction from Real Madrid. Head coach Xabi Alonso rushed over and firmly told Simeone to “control your own people,” leading to a brief standoff that was eventually defused by Federico Valverde. After the match, Fabrizio Romano posted a video of the incident, and Vinícius commented underneath: “(He) lost another knockout game 🥺🥺🥺🥺.”