Mourinho says he would have left Real Madrid if he were in Vinícius’s place

José Mourinho said he would probably have left Real Madrid if he had been in Vinícius’s position. The 26-year-old forward was linked with a departure this summer, while Arsenal were interested in him, but ultimately signed a new contract with the club through 2032. He will nevertheless miss tonight’s Liga match against Sevilla, serving a four-match suspension after a direct red card in the 1-0 win over Villarreal in the previous round.

“If I had been in his place, I might not be here,” Mourinho said. The Real Madrid coach added that he would have opted for a club where he felt appreciated and respected. He also stressed that Vinícius’s affection for Real Madrid and Madrid had been a major factor in his choice to stay and renew his contract.

The dismissal followed a turbulent sequence against Villarreal. Vinícius thought he had scored Real Madrid’s second goal, 20 minutes after coming on as a substitute, from a pass by Jude Bellingham. Video review ruled out the goal, and the Brazilian then received a straight red card for pulling Nathan Saliba’s hair.

That disallowed effort would have been his second goal for Real Madrid this season. His first, and only one so far, came on August 26 against Real Sociedad. He has also scored in a friendly against Australia.

Vinícius’s situation comes amid a difficult spell. His level has dropped this season compared with what he showed in previous years, following a haul of 14 titles with Real Madrid since arriving from Flamengo in 2018, aged 18. Real Madrid supporters have booed and chanted against him, particularly after his performance against Roma in the Champions League in midweek.

In that match, Real Madrid were 3-1 behind Roma before the hour mark. Mourinho then substituted Vinícius, and his replacement Endrick helped the team mount a comeback and win 4-3 in the Italian capital. Mourinho said he would have asked to leave during the summer to join “a team, a league and a country that respect me”. He added: “I doubt I would have had the psychological strength to stay when I had so many options in front of me.”