Mourinho on Vinicius: "If I were in his place, I probably would have left Madrid already"

Some lines say more than any tactical report. The one Jose Mourinho dropped ahead of the match against Sevilla is one of them. He was asked about Vinicius Junior, about his rough patch, about the whistles at the Bernabeu, and the coach didn't mince words: if he were the Brazilian, he probably would have already left Real Madrid.

The context matters here. Vinicius is serving a four-match suspension in LaLiga after his furious reaction to being sent off against Villarreal last Saturday, and on top of that he admitted he wasn't happy about being substituted early during Madrid's comeback win in Rome in midweek, where the team won 4-3. It's been a string of blows to the morale of a player who was key to the club's last two Champions League titles, in 2022 and 2024, and who was even floated as a Ballon d'Or candidate.

That's what makes Mourinho's press conference comments so striking:

If I were in his place, I probably wouldn't be here. Last summer I would have forced my way out, to a league, a country, clubs and stadiums where I'd be respected. But because he's a Madrid fan, because he loves the club and the city, because he believes things can always get better, he signed a new deal, and he'll keep that smile. I don't think there's anything or anyone who can take away that joy he has for living and working. He's a great kid.Jose Mourinho

It's no small thing that Vinicius signed a contract extension in August running through 2032, right in the middle of a rough stretch of form. When asked to clarify his comments, Mourinho was even more direct: "When he signed that contract, he did it because Madrid is his home, and Real Madrid is his home. He's one of the main sources of joy in that locker room. What I said before is that I doubt I, as a player with plenty of options, would have had his psychological strength to stick it out."

The substitution and Endrick's spark

The coach himself admitted that Vinicius's night at the Olimpico was a tough one. He pulled him off in the 59th minute, with Madrid down 3-1 and after the Brazilian lost the ball in a sequence that led to Roma's second goal. Endrick came on, scored a goal, set up another, and was named man of the match in the comeback.

Mourinho, though, placed the blame elsewhere: "The guilty party, above all, was Gasperini. They attacked us down just one channel, with Soule, Wesley and Mancini against Cucurella and Vinicius. In the first half it's hard as a coach to make positional changes because the information doesn't reach the players in time. In the second half, Roma's attacking threat down that flank dried up." What really bothered him, he explained, was that Vinicius lost the ball at a calm moment in the match, with no urgent problems to solve: "Vini needed to hold onto the ball or go looking for a foul, never do what he did. But fine, it's okay."

Even so, the coach didn't shut the door on Vinicius starting the Champions League clash against RB Leipzig: "Right now Vini's future depends on working harder than those players who have to play every match. Without promising anything, I think he'll start on Wednesday."

Mourinho was also asked about Real Madrid's demand for LaLiga president Javier Tebas to resign after he compared Real Madrid TV to "the propaganda techniques used by Goebbels." The coach preferred not to go into detail: "I don't want to talk about that. There are limits... Fans understand more and more what Real Madrid is up against. Given the prestige Spanish football has abroad, it's better that this stays here and doesn't travel outside."

Asked whether he'll make changes in midfield, where Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde have been drawing criticism, Mourinho was blunt: "I'm here to do what I believe is best for the team. The day will come when polls, or artificial intelligence, pick the team. But until then, I think coaches pick the team and make the decisions."