Jose Mourinho was asked to defend his forward on Monday, and instead he handed him a public target. The “best version” of Vinicius Junior, the Real Madrid manager said, is the one who scores.
Mourinho was speaking at his pre-match press conference on 14 September, a day before Real Madrid’s LaLiga trip to Elche. Pressed on the Brazilian’s slow start, he framed his answer around goals rather than effort.
“The best version of Vinicius Junior will come when he starts scoring goals.”
He went further, invoking the version of Vinicius who eliminated Benfica for Madrid last season.
Read also: Movistar's director reveals he did not expect the Vuelta victory
“He’s missing that top-level performance, but I’m happy with him,” Mourinho said.
The comments landed six days after Vinicius was whistled off the pitch in the Bernabéu. Real Madrid opened the 2026-27 Champions League with a 2-1 win over Inter Milan on 8 September, Kylian Mbappé and Federico Valverde scoring inside 25 minutes before Carlos Augusto pulled one back. Vinicius came off in the 87th minute to jeers from sections of the home crowd.
One goal, three assists, and a fresh contract to 2032
Vinicius has one goal and three assists to show for the opening weeks of the campaign, a return that has left him well short of the numbers that made him Madrid’s most feared attacker under the previous regime. He scored 22 goals with 14 assists across last season, according to a footballtransfers.com breakdown that valued him at €86.6m and pointed to his physical explosivity, not his attitude, as the missing element.
The forward’s public standing at the Bernabéu until this season had been closer to hero than lightning rod. On 6 August, Real Madrid announced his contract had been extended until 2032, ending a summer of Premier League interest. Five weeks later, the same stadium was whistling him off.
Read also: Yamal's own agent Mendes crowns him for the Ballon d'Or: 'The best in the world, by a wide margin'
Mourinho asks for support and joins the critics
After the Inter win, Mourinho had tried a softer line, telling reporters the winger knew where he stood.
“He isn’t at his best, and he knows it. But he’s working hard to be the Vinicius who decides games.”
“If he works, he’ll always have my support. He worked very hard for the team.”
By Monday, that balance had shifted. Mourinho still opened with praise for Vinicius’s work off the ball, the assists and what he called “the collective work”. But the pivot was unmistakable: the version he wanted back was the one who “had one opportunity, one goal, and sealed the game” in the knockout rounds against Benfica.
Read also: Sadness at Mestalla: Valencia sack Corberán and CEO days after Harvey Elliott's arrival
Mourinho did not project a quick fix. Asked what he expected from his side in the short term, he offered no promises.
“I hope that in three months we are better than we are today, but I have nothing magical to say that in three months we will be at an incredible level.”
Real Madrid travel to Elche on Tuesday evening, and Vinicius is expected to start.
Read also: Four wins, one red card and a £458m rebuild: Maresca's first month after Guardiola
Read also: Lidl-Trek jokes about worst-kept secret
