What did Mourinho say about Vinícius?

Real Madrid coach José Mourinho has explained why Vinícius Júnior stayed at the club. According to Mourinho, the winger could have pushed to move to a country where he would be respected, but he chose to stay out of loyalty to Real Madrid and love for the club. The comments came as the forward's future was a talking point after Arsenal showed interest last summer.

Why was Arsenal interested?

Arsenal looked to strengthen their attack last summer and monitored Vinícius. At the time, his contract renewal talks with Real Madrid had stalled, which opened the door for outside interest. Vinícius has since remained at the Bernabéu.

Vinícius's record at Real Madrid

Vinícius joined Real Madrid from Flamengo in July 2018. Since then he has played 385 matches for the club, scoring 129 goals and providing 103 assists.

| Item | Detail | |---|---| | Joined from | Flamengo (July 2018) | | Appearances | 385 | | Goals | 129 | | Assists | 103 |

Recent discipline

On the 11th, Vinícius was shown a red card for pulling an opponent's hair during the match against Villarreal. He was subsequently handed a four-match suspension.

For international fans

Vinícius is one of the most prominent wingers in world football, and his contract situation is closely followed by fans in Brazil, Spain, and beyond. Real Madrid were due to face Sevilla at the Santiago Bernabéu on October 19 in La Liga Matchday 9 of the 2026-27 season.