The Special One talks through his chat with Vinicius
“Don’t go. It isn’t worth it.” That, according to Jose Mourinho, was the whole pitch.
The Portuguese spoke to El Chiringuito this morning and did not dodge the question that landed the moment his return to the Real Madrid bench was announced: what exactly is going on with Vinicius Junior?
He confirmed the two men spoke during contract talks, then played down his own influence. “Of course I spoke to him, but Vinicius fell in love with Real Madrid.”
Then the detail. “The only thing I told him was: Vini, where do you want to go? You have only known Brazil and you only know Real Madrid… You only really find out what Real Madrid is when you leave.” Vinicius has since signed through 2032.
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Prestianni, the sore point nobody forgot
The awkward part came next. Mourinho had backed Prestianni, his player at Benfica, after the Argentine was accused of racist comments toward Vinicius in a Champions League match. The Brazilian was not impressed.
No apology is coming. “Prestianni was my player, full stop, there is nothing to discuss. If Prestianni is my player… there could be 20 other players, I am with Prestianni.”
Then he turned the same logic around in his winger’s favour. “I think Vini knows that now, he knows where I stand and he knows he can count on me to be on his side.”
A partnership that will be picked over all season
Mourinho reached for a recent example. “The other day, when they didn’t give him a huge penalty at the Bernabeu, I was already in the middle of the pitch fighting for him.”
That line was aimed at the dressing room as much as anyone outside it. Mourinho has not managed Real Madrid since 2013, and he walks back into a squad where Vinicius is still the number one attacking threat, tied down for another six seasons.
Whether the words hold up in February is another matter entirely.
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