Jose Mourinho has said he would have forced his way out of Real Madrid last summer had he been in Vinicius Junior’s position, praising the winger’s resilience while admitting he feared a harsher ban than the four matches handed down after the Villarreal red card.
On Saturday, October 17, Mourinho said: “If it were me in his place, probably I wouldn’t be here. In this last summer I would have forced an exit to a league, a country, to somewhere there are rival clubs and stadiums that respect him.”
Vinicius, 26, was linked with Arsenal over the summer before signing a new contract until 2032.
Yet he has stayed despite years of targeting by rival players and fans, and racial abuse since joining Madrid in 2018, making his decision to stay striking.
Mourinho credits that loyalty to love of the club and the city, saying: “Because he loves Real Madrid, for loving the club and the city, for believing that things can always improve, he renewed and he keeps on smiling.”
Vinicius was sent off against Villarreal last week for pulling hair, a red card that brought a four-match ban and rules him out of the Clasico against Barcelona on October 25. Madrid still won that game 1-0, but the suspension is costly.
Mourinho was nonetheless relieved at the length of the ban. “I am happy with the punishment, because they were going to punish him with more matches. I thought that certain things arranged behind the scenes would get him one or two extra matches.”
Vinicius struggled in Wednesday’s 4-3 Champions League win at Roma, and Mourinho substituted him in the 59th minute, replacing him with Endrick. The winger later said his frustration was with himself, not the manager, for failing to reach the level he expected.
Mourinho pinned much of the blame on Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini: “The person most responsible for the difficulty of the match he played is Gasperini, because he attacked constantly down his side.”
The second goal also rankled, he said: “What bothered me was the nature of the second goal, because it came when the match was balanced and we had no problem at all.” He added that he had made five changes, not just one.
Mourinho wants more effort, but hinted that Vinicius will start against RB Leipzig on Wednesday, October 21. “Vinicius has to work more, and without promising anything, because I do not like making promises, I think he will start on Wednesday,” he said.
If it were me in his place, probably I wouldn’t be here. In this last summer I would have forced an exit to a league, a country, to somewhere there are rival clubs and stadiums that respect him.Jose Mourinho, Real Madrid manager
Asked about their private chats, Mourinho declined to give details but said he spends a few minutes alone with the player every day. “He has a good relationship with everyone in the dressing room, and he is a source of joy,” he added.
Real Madrid called on Friday, October 16, for La Liga president Javier Tebas to resign after he compared the club’s efforts to discredit referees to the techniques of Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels. Tebas later said he meant only those propaganda techniques, not the ideology.
Mourinho preferred not to dwell on it. “I don’t want to talk about this, there are limits and there are limits,” he said, adding that Madrid and its fans understand what they are up against and urging that the matter stay in Spain.
Madrid travel to Sevilla on Sunday, October 18, hoping to avoid falling further behind Barcelona, perfect this season and six points clear of fourth-placed Madrid. Los Blancos have also blamed referees for some results, including September’s 2-1 derby defeat by Atletico Madrid.