Vinicius Junior Might Have Found His Best Ally in Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho knows how important Vinícius Júnior is for Real Madrid’s trophy hopes this season.
After missing out on any kind of silverware during 2025–26, the 15-time Champions League winners desperately hope Mourinho can stop Barcelona from completing a La Liga three-peat—something they are overwhelming favorites to do, particularly after their opening day smashing of Elche.
Key to potential success for Madrid will be Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and a number of the club’s new signings. But perhaps no player can make the difference quite like Vinícius Jr when he’s on fire.
The Brazilian flirted with a potential exit from Real Madrid this summer—or so it seemed—before putting pen to paper on a fresh six-year contract with the club. He can now let his soccer do the talking, finding early season form to help Mourinho get off to a good start. One thing he’ll need from his manager, though, is support.
Spanish publication MARCA report that’s exactly what Mourinho is already giving Vinícius Jr. It’s said that he’s told the winger privately that he’ll shield him from criticism this season— on-field disputes against La Liga opponents are likely to take center stage again as players look to wind Vinícius Jr up—and that he wants to keep his superstar relaxed and focused on the job at hand.
Mourinho has already publicly backed Vinícius Jr, stating in the aftermath of the 2–1 win over Espanyol in Madrid’s first La Liga fixture that he’d been subjected to ”orchestrated bullying,” and is acutely aware of the need to protect him from the scrutiny of those who once donned the club’s famous white shirt.
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Former Real Madrid Player Viciously Attacks Vinícius Jr
There’s no denying that at his best, Vinícius Jr is one of the best players in the world. However, for former Real Madrid goalkeeper, Santiago Cañizares, his talent on the pitch is outweighed by the constant scrutiny and controversy that follows him.
This, in Cañizares’s eyes, forced Real Madrid to extend his contract, because he believes no other team would’ve wanted a player like him.
“This summer there was a debate,” Cañizares recently remarked (via COPE.) “He had one year remaining in his contract, should they sell him or not, what he [Vinícius Jr] gives you on the pitch vs. what he takes away. You know what happened? Nobody wanted him.
“No one wants a player like that at their club. And I think he didn’t have any offers. Real Madrid has been obligated to renew him because surely no other team even got in contact with him or his representatives because no one wants a player of these characteristics.”
It was a fiery rant, but not exactly true given it was widely reported that Arsenal were prepared to make Vinícius Jr. one of the highest paid players in the Premier League. It’s this type of attack that Vinícius Jr is constantly a victim of, and one that Mourinho appears keen to protect him from.
Mourinho’s Mission for Vinícius Jr
The discourse surrounding Vinícius Jr has always existed but it’s become more and more prominent over the past two seasons—coincidentally, those are the two years in which Real Madrid have failed to conquer any major trophies.
The 26-year-old has hardly anything left to prove at Madrid. He’s played a major role in the club’s last two Champions League successes and a case could easily be made that he should have lifted the 2024 Ballon d'Or ahead of Rodri.
Now, though, that all feels like a distant memory, and Mourinho looks determined to do all he can to change the current narrative and help Vinícius Jr rediscover his best form. The best version of the Brazilian has always come when he's full of confidence, having fun with the backing of his team and particularly his manager. On this evidence, that’s exactly the environment Mourinho wants to provide.
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