Mourinho sees Vinicius' disallowed goal as the moment he "rediscovered his joy"

It's a goal that didn't count, but according to Jose Mourinho, it changed something inside. Vinicius Junior's effort against Villarreal was ultimately disallowed and came with a red card, but for Real Madrid's coach, it was exactly the moment his forward "rediscovered his joy."

The Brazilian is going through an unusual season by his standards: just one goal in nine matches, though with three assists mixed in. Nothing dramatic in the numbers, but still notable for someone in his ninth season at the club who's used to a different kind of spotlight. Mourinho, in any case, doesn't seem worried.

"It's going to come. It's just a matter of when," the coach told TNT Sports on Tuesday, sounding fairly confident that the dip is temporary.

What's interesting is how that line came about. After the 2-1 loss to Atletico Madrid in the derby, with Vinicius starting, Mourinho decided to change the script for the next match, a 1-0 win over Villarreal at the Bernabeu: he left him on the bench and brought him on when the game called for it.

And it worked, at least in terms of atmosphere. The stadium, which had shown its frustration with him on occasion, rose to its feet the moment they saw him warming up. Vinicius came on, scored, and was sent off on the same play: the goal was disallowed because he'd pulled the hair of a Villarreal opponent. A bittersweet sequence, but one Mourinho chose to read as a positive.

I think that was a crucial turning point for him. He came on and played really well: the goal and the red card were a shame, of course, but it seemed like something clicked, that he got that joy back and it reminded him of the kind of player he really is.Jose Mourinho

Mourinho shuts the door on Endrick's suitors

Meanwhile, the Portuguese coach also had a direct message for any club thinking about taking Endrick off Real Madrid's hands in the next transfer window. The 20 year old forward stayed at the Bernabeu this summer despite the interest he drew after a strong loan spell at Lyon in the second half of last season.

"Forget it, forget it, forget about the interested clubs," Mourinho said when asked about the Brazilian's future.

Let them sit and wait, or they'll wear themselves out. He's a player I love, with incredible potential. And he's very important for us. Now, whoever is interested in him is going to have to really fight me on it, because I don't think he needs to go out on loan and I think he's going to be very successful here.Jose Mourinho

The problem, for now, is that Endrick has barely played. The forward, who featured at the 2026 World Cup with Brazil, has only logged four minutes this season with Real Madrid. He missed the first four league matches with a muscle injury, and since recovering, hasn't found the right moment to get on the field.

Mourinho explained it fairly candidly: after preseason he suffered an injury that kept him out for more than a month at the start of the campaign, and although he's now recovered, the opportunity simply hasn't come up yet. In the match against Villarreal, he was on the verge of coming on right when the team scored the goal. "It happened practically at the same moment as the goal. And after that, when you're winning with ten men, it's natural for the coach to change plans and look at other options," he admitted.