Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho stated on Saturday that if he were in the position of Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior, Jose Mourinho would leave the Spanish giants entirely. Speaking to journalists ahead of his team’s upcoming league fixture, the Portuguese tactician addressed the intense hostility and scrutiny the forward faces across the country. The coach pointed out that the unrelenting animosity directed at the player from opposing crowds would have driven him out of the competition during the recent transfer window.
The comments follow a turbulent week for the 26-year-old attacker, who was sent off for pulling an opponent’s hair during Madrid’s recent victory against Villarreal. Football authorities handed the Brazilian an immediate four-match suspension for the incident, which rules him out of the domestic Clasico meeting with fierce rivals Barcelona scheduled for October 25. Beyond his disciplinary trouble on the pitch, the winger has been subjected to repeated instances of racial abuse from rival supporters since he arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu from Flamengo back in 2018.
Mourinho spoke warmly about the forward’s character, telling reporters that the South American remains a spectacular young man with whom it is simple to build a strong professional relationship. The coach gave him immense credit for maintaining his spirit, working hard every day, and still smiling despite the hostile environments he encounters away from home. Mourinho confessed that had he endured the same treatment, he would have demanded a transfer to another country where competing teams and their supporters show genuine respect to visiting footballers.
Despite the persistent pressure, the Brazilian international demonstrated his commitment to the reigning European champions by signing a massive long-term contract extension during the summer that ties him to the club until 2032. Explaining the player’s choice to stay in the Spanish capital, Mourinho explained that a profound love for both the club and the surrounding city motivated the renewal. The manager noted that while negative outside noise can naturally affect any human being, no detractor has managed to rob the forward of his happiness, his joy in training, or his bond with his teammates in the dressing room.
The winger has nonetheless found it hard to produce his finest form this season as the technical bench experiments with fielding a star-studded forward line that features Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, and Vinicius at the same time without sacrificing tactical balance. Mourinho substituted the attacker during Madrid’s tense 4-3 Champions League triumph away to Roma on Wednesday evening, with the forward still chasing the peak performance levels that previously helped him secure two European titles under former boss Carlo Ancelotti.
Reacting to the four-game domestic ban, Mourinho admitted he felt somewhat relieved the sanction was not extended even further by the Spanish football federation’s disciplinary committee. The manager claimed that certain unnamed officials on the disciplinary board would have gladly added another game or two to the punishment if they could. Madrid have voiced growing frustration with refereeing decisions this term, openly blaming match officials for unfavorable outcomes, such as their 2-1 derby loss to Atletico Madrid in September.
Tensions between the club and the league hierarchy reached boiling point on Friday when Madrid demanded the immediate resignation of La Liga president Javier Tebas. The demand followed comments from Tebas likening Madrid’s public campaigns against match officials to the methods used by Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels. Tebas later sought to explain his words, stating he was strictly referencing historical media manipulation tactics rather than Nazi ideology itself.
When asked to address the bitter administrative feud, Mourinho refused to expand further, stating firmly that certain lines cannot be crossed without being excused as a clinical case. The manager insisted that both the squad and their supporters fully grasp the external opposition they are dealing with this season. He stressed that preserving the global standing of Spanish football on the world stage requires handling these contentious internal disputes locally rather than airing them globally. Madrid are preparing to take on Sevilla on Sunday, sitting six points behind Hansi Flick’s table-topping Barcelona side.
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