Real Madrid’s Past Contract Standoffs Paint a Worrying Picture for Vinicius Junior

There is a ruthlessness required to reach the mountaintop over and over again, threaded into the very fabric of the Real Madrid crest on every player’s white shirt.

Tough decisions on the pitch and in the boardroom are common practice at the Bernabéu, just like the relentless boos that sometimes rain down from the stands, directed at the team’s biggest superstars. The standards are often so high that even 42 goals in a single season will earn you nothing but a petition with over 52 million signatures to leave the club—just ask Kylian Mbappé.

Club president Florentino Pérez operates with a similar mercilessness behind the scenes, sometimes getting into contract standoffs with Real Madrid’s most important players. Club legends Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos and Luka Modrić dealt with it, as did Mesut Özil and now, Vinícius Júnior.

The Brazil international has been locked in a stalemate with Los Blancos since Jan. 2025 over an extension. Despite both parties wanting a deal, salary disagreements have stalled any progress, leaving the door open for Arsenal to swoop in and try to lure Vinícius Jr. to north London.

The solution seems fairly obvious: compromise and come to an agreement to keep the player who helped Real Madrid win their last two Champions League titles. But nothing is ever straightforward at the biggest club in the world, especially when it comes to contracts.

Real Madrid’s Bullish Tactics Have Reaped Results

Even Cristiano Ronaldo had to fight for a contract extension at Real Madrid. | Helios de la Rubia/Real Madrid/Getty Images

“All the news about my renewal with Real Madrid are false,” Ronaldo infamously posted in June 2013. The forward, who was under contract until 2015 at the time, was at the center of a transfer storm, with mounting reports linking him to a sensational return to Manchester United, all the while Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain circled.

Ronaldo was coming off a volatile 2012–13 season, which saw the Portuguese phenom fall out with then-manager José Mourinho. He also was visibly frustrated with the team’s Champions League failures amid pressure to finally lift La Décima. Plus, Gareth Bale was soon on his way as the club’s shiny new signing.

Not helping matters were previous failed contract negotiations with Real Madrid, which hovered over the team and the player the entire season. Pérez held firm on his refusal to meet Ronaldo’s increased salary demands since the club assumed some of his tax burden.

For obvious reasons, losing Ronaldo would have been a disaster for Los Blancos, as would have extending the standoff throughout the 2013–14 season. Deep down, Pérez knew that and ultimately folded, giving his No. 7 an increased salary and an extension until 2018 one month into 2013–14.

Ronaldo went on to help the club win its 10th Champions League title that season before adding another three to the trophy cabinet at the Bernabéu.

Mesut Özil was pushed out of the Spanish capital. | Christof Stache/AFP/Getty Images

Özil found himself in a similar situation, pursuing a new contract with Real Madrid in 2013 after three successful seasons at the Bernabéu. Except the midfielder revealed in his book, The Magic of the Game, that talks were led by his father, who “did not keep a cool head” when negotiating with Pérez.

The club was unwilling to match the demands put forth by Özil and his camp, prompting his father to leave Pérez’s office with the slam of the door. The meeting all but pushed Özil right into Arsenal’s arms, even though the World Cup winner had no intention of leaving the Spanish capital.

Many thought losing Özil would sink Real Madrid and blamed Pérez for his stubborn tactics. Yet the club went on to win La Décima the next season, and then signed Toni Kroos ahead of the 2014–15 campaign, leaving Özil as nothing more than an afterthought.

Pérez’s Ruthlessness Backfires Just As Often

Real Madrid could have used a defender like Sergio Ramos in the years after his departure. | Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images

For all of Pérez’s success stories, he has just as many blunders that cost the club, both in the short and long term. Ramos was embroiled in a public back-and-forth with Real Madrid in 2021 as the days ticked on until he became a free agent at the end of the season.

Both sides had different accounts, spinning the Spanish media into a frenzy. Alleged hotel room meetings, PSG counter offers and Zinedine Zidane’s public backing of Ramos made the situation even more chaotic, all to end with the player leaving in the summer with a whimper.

The root of the problem was Real Madrid’s desire to cut Ramos’s salary in a new deal, a move that was met with incredible disdain from the captain. But Pérez could not be reasoned with, and ultimately let the legendary defender walk.

The move seemed not to matter in the short term. After all, Los Blancos won the Champions League the next season. Yet as the years went by and defensive injuries absolutely obliterated Real Madrid, the refusal to keep Ramos with the team—even as just an option off the bench—did not hold up.

Real Madrid let Luka Modrić walk. | Denis Doyle/Getty Images

The same can be said about Pérez refusing to offer Modrić a new contract after the 2024–25 season. The Croatian was adamant that he wanted to stay at the club, even if it meant less minutes moving forward, but his wish was denied by the president.

Pérez turned away the chance to keep the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner, and then had to sit and watch his team’s pitiful midfield over the last two seasons. Even at 40 years old, Modrić would have elevated a midfield group obsessed with sideways passes, but instead, he took his talents to AC Milan.

The decision came as part of Pérez’s desire to strengthen Real Madrid’s young core under the newly arriving Xabi Alonso. Except the Bayer Leverkusen boss only lasted until January at his new post, and three of his four summer signings barely logged minutes in the second half of the season.

Which Will It Be for Vinícius Jr?

Vinícius Júnior saw his influence decrease once Kylian Mbappé joined Real Madrid. | M Gracia Jimenez/Soccrates/Getty Images

In recent seasons, Pérez has made more blunders than successes, as evidenced by the team’s failure to win a major trophy in back-to-back seasons. Los Blancos went on a similar run after Ronaldo left in 2018.

There couldn’t be a worse time for the president to be locked in yet another contract standoff, with Vinícius Jr. of all people. The Brazilian owns Real Madrid’s left wing and Ronaldo’s number seven shirt for a reason, and his two Champions League titles by the age of 24 prove it.

Letting Vinícius Jr. go this summer or the next could destroy an already fragile Real Madrid side, one desperate for creative flair and secondary goalscoring behind Mbappé.

But every argument in favor of keeping Vinícius Jr. does not matter to such a ruthless president, determined to not break his wage structure to meet the demands of one player, no matter who it is.

Pérez loves Vinícius Jr., though, much like he loved Ronaldo until things went sideways in 2018. The president could take inspiration from his 2013 standoff with the Portugal international and get a deal over the line—even if he’s gritting his teeth while doing so—if it means keeping one of the team’s most important pieces in a white shirt for years to come.

Or he can take the Ramos approach and exert every inch of his power, forcing Vinícius Jr. to begin a new chapter of his career elsewhere, even if it comes at Real Madrid’s detriment.

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