Mourinho Says He Would Have Forced Real Madrid Exit If He Were Vinicius Junior

Jose Mourinho has suggested that he would have pushed for a move away from Real Madrid if he were Vinicius Junior, pointing to the repeated hostility and racial abuse the Brazilian winger has faced during his time in Spain.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, the Real Madrid coach praised Vinicius for maintaining a positive attitude despite the treatment he has received from opposing supporters since joining the club in 2018.

“He’s a spectacular kid who it’s easy to have a good relationship with,” Mourinho said.

“He’s a fantastic boy, tremendous credit to him for the fact that he keeps living and surviving and still having a smile…

“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, recently received a four-match suspension after being sent off for pulling an opponent’s hair during Madrid’s win over Villarreal last weekend. The punishment means he will miss the Clasico against Barcelona on October 25.

The winger nevertheless committed his future to Real Madrid over the summer by signing a contract extension that runs until 2032.

Mourinho said Vinicius’s loyalty to the club and belief that conditions could improve had played a major role in his decision to remain at the Santiago Bernabeu.

“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,” Mourinho said.

He added that, although the winger could be affected emotionally by criticism and abuse, nobody could take away his enjoyment of football and his relationships with teammates.

“No one or nobody can… well, influence him negatively yes, because he’s human… but take away his joy of living and working and being with his team-mates, no, no one can do that.”

Vinicius was substituted during Madrid’s 4-3 Champions League victory at Roma on Wednesday as he continued his efforts to regain the form that helped him win the competition twice under Carlo Ancelotti.

Mourinho also welcomed the length of Vinicius’s suspension, admitting he had expected a harsher punishment from the Spanish football federation’s disciplinary committee.

He said he had feared that some hidden figures within the committee “would give him one or two more”.

Madrid and La Liga embroiled in dispute

Mourinho’s comments came as Real Madrid prepared to face Sevilla on Sunday, with the club looking to close the gap on La Liga leaders Barcelona.

Barcelona, under Hansi Flick, have won every match this season and are six points ahead of fourth-placed Madrid. The Catalan side were scheduled to visit Real Betis later on Saturday.

Madrid have repeatedly criticised refereeing decisions, including after their 2-1 derby loss to Atletico Madrid in September.

The dispute intensified on Friday when Real Madrid called for La Liga president Javier Tebas to resign over comments comparing the club’s efforts to discredit referees with the propaganda methods of Nazi official Joseph Goebbels.

Tebas later clarified that his comparison concerned “those propaganda techniques” and was not intended to equate the club with Nazi ideology.

Mourinho declined to discuss the matter in detail, saying there were limits to what could be excused.

“I don’t want to talk about this, there are limits and there are limits. You can only excuse it if it’s a clinical case — otherwise there’s no excuse,” he said.

“I don’t want to go down that road. Madrid and its fans understands what it is up against.

“For the prestige that the league has abroad, for being the current world champions, it’s better if we try to keep this here and not let it get out (to the world).”

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