Jose Mourinho has revealed the frank conversation he had with Vinicius Junior to help convince the forward to extend his stay with Real Madrid this summer.
Vinicius had entered into the final 12 months of his previous deal with Madrid, meaning he would have been able to depart the Bernabeu on a free transfer at the end of this coming season. Arsenal were alerted to the precarious situation and made contact with Vinicius Junior’s camp over the winter after a second round of contract talks between the Brazilian and Madrid had collapsed.
Mourinho’s role in convincing Vinicius
In a wide-ranging interview with El Chiringuito’s Josep Pedrerol, Mourinho opened up on the role he played in coaxing Vinicius away from the clutches of Arsenal. Asked if Vinicius’ renewal was solely down to him, Mourinho replied: ‘No… what? Because of me? Pressed on whether he spoke to Vinicius, the Special One responded: ‘Obviously I talked to him, but Vinicius has fallen in love with Real Madrid.
‘The only thing I told him was: “Vini, where do you want to go? You’ve only been in Brazil and you only know Real Madrid… You only understand Real Madrid when you leave. When you leave… that’s when you realise what Real Madrid is. Don’t leave. It’s not worth it.”
Vinicius’ new contract and Arsenal’s pursuit
Vinicius would go on to sign a six-year deal with Los Blancos, tying him to the Spanish giants until 2026, forcing the Premier League champions to search elsewhere for attacking reinforcements ahead of next month’s transfer deadline. The Gunners grew increasingly optimistic of pulling off a sensational coup as the months wore on and remained hopeful right up until a fortnight ago, with Mikel Arteta ‘absolutely smitten’ with the idea of adding a genuine world-class talent to his title-winning frontline.
Vinicius made his return for Madrid in the side’s pre-season clash with Deportivo La Coruna last week and will be expected to feature prominently on Saturday when Mourinho’s men open their La Liga campaign away to Espanyol.
Mourinho’s support for Vinicius
Mourinho and Vinicius were on opposing sides last season when the latter accused Gianluca Prestianni of directing a racist remark his way during Madrid’s Champions League clash with Benfica. The former Manchester United and Chelsea manager was widely criticised for his post-match remarks, in which he appeared to accuse Vinicius of provoking the abuse with an overzealous celebration.
‘The answer is very simple: Prestianni was my player. That’s it. There’s no debate,’ Mourinho explained, looking back on February’s highly controversial knockout play-off. ‘If Prestianni is my player… 20 players can come at me and I’m still with Prestianni. End of story.’
Mourinho added: ‘I think Vini knows now. He knows whose side I’m on and he knows he can look at me and count on me to stand alongside him. ‘The other day, when they didn’t give him a penalty as big as the Bernabeu, I was already out there in the middle of the field fighting for him. ‘He knows I’m going to be there for him.’
When asked if it was a case of Vinicius having to learn to behave differently, Mourinho answered: ‘I think people have to learn how to behave toward him, and I’m talking about referees, too. ‘Vinicius is a player like everyone else. You can’t give a penalty if it’s Pedrerol [the journalist interviewing Mourinho]… and then not give the penalty because it’s Vinicius. You can’t protect Mourinho and not protect Vinicius. ‘People have to look beyond whether they find him likable or not. On the field, you have to look at Vinicius like any other player. He’s better than the others.’
On the notion that Vinicius needs more ‘protection’, Mourinho went on: ‘No, no… they don’t respect him. In stadiums… I agree with you, and I’ve spoken to him a little about that, too. ‘One thing is celebrating a goal with your own fans and another is celebrating in front of the opposing fans. You can find a little bit of balance there. ‘But what sense does it make for an entire stadium to boo one of the best players in the world when you have nothing against him? ‘You go and play a friendly in A Coruna or against Schalke and I don’t think Vinicius has played against Schalke before, or against Depor. Why do you boo him the first time he touches the ball? ‘There has to be some kind of middle ground because watching him play is a privilege.’
Vinicius has racked up 128 goals and 100 assists in 375 appearances since arriving at Madrid as a teenager from boyhood team Flamengo back in 2018. In that time, Vinicius has helped Los Blancos win 14 pieces of silverware, including three La Liga titles and two Champions League crowns.
