Mourinho told Vinicius Jr 'not worth' leaving Real

WHAT HAPPENED
Jose Mourinho says he convinced Vinicius Jr to remain at Real Madrid, advising the Brazil forward that leaving the club would not be worthwhile. Vinicius, who had entered the final 12 months of his contract and could have departed on a free transfer, signed a new six-year deal with Real earlier this month.

Mourinho, whose return as Real manager was confirmed in June, discussed his role in persuading Vinicius during an appearance on Spanish TV. He framed his intervention as part of convincing the player that Real is where he should stay.

KEY CONTEXT
- Vinicius's contract situation had alerted other clubs, with Arsenal among those reportedly monitoring the possibility of signing him if he left on a free.
- Mourinho spent last season as Benfica manager and faced Real three times in Champions League meetings; during one of those matches Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni was accused by Real players of racially abusing Vinicius, leading to an on-field stoppage that lasted about eight minutes.
- Uefa later imposed a three-match ban on Prestianni, with a further three-match suspension held in reserve, citing homophobic conduct in its sanctioning decision.
- Real have gone two seasons without major silverware and have been active in the transfer market — Rodri, long linked with a return to Spain, moved from Manchester City to Barcelona in a deal reported at £65m.

WHY IT MATTERS
Securing Vinicius on a long-term contract keeps one of the club’s leading attacking talents at the Bernabéu and removes the immediate prospect of losing him for nothing next summer. Mourinho’s public intervention also highlights the influence he is asserting on squad matters and player morale early in his second appointment at the club. The retention of Vinicius comes amid Real’s efforts to return to winning ways after a trophy drought and while high-profile midfield targets such as Rodri ended up moving elsewhere.

WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
- How Mourinho integrates Vinicius into his plans on the pitch and whether the reported rapport between the manager and player endures through the season.
- How Real respond to the challenge of returning to major honours under Mourinho, following two seasons without silverware.
- Any further developments or clarifications related to the disciplinary case involving Gianluca Prestianni and its wider impact on relations between the clubs and players involved.

KEY FACTS
- Vinicius had one year left on his Real Madrid contract before signing a new six-year deal earlier this month.
- Mourinho says he advised Vinicius not to leave Real and that this contributed to the player committing his future to the club.
- Arsenal were reportedly alerted to the chance of signing Vinicius while contract talks continued.
- Mourinho returned to Real Madrid in June and spoke about the situation on the Spanish show El Chiringuito.