Real Madrid have created a monster with Vini Jr deal – and Mourinho will love it

10 Aug 2026 19:00 BST | 3 min read

Vini Jr, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid — © IMAGO

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Accredited football journalist and editor covering the game since 2006

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In a Real Madrid squad packed with Galacticos, three players stand above as the genuine superstars: Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham and, of course, Kylian Mbappe.

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The trio trade top billing to be the main attraction of the Bernabeu side. Mbappe holds the distinction for the moment, but the lead is rarely decisive.

This was reflected when Los Blancos handed Vinicius Junior a new contract this month to prevent him joining Arsenal, either immediately or when his previous deal was due to expire in June 2030.

Current ETV

Vinícius Júnior

F (CL), M (L)

Real Madrid

Vinícius Júnior

F (CL), M (L)

Real Madrid

ETV Range

€86.6M - €105.9M

The decision, though, was not greeted with universal approval. Vini, who has signed a new six-year contract in Madrid, keeping him at the club until 2032, has received a €4.5m per year pay rise to hit €22m a year, according to ESPN, worth around €30m extra over the duration of his deal.

It’s not the €30m per year salary that Mbappe is said to earn, yet behind the scenes it has the potential to stir the type of discord that new manager Jose Mourinho has been appointed specifically to placate.

Real Madrid have a Jude Bellingham problem after Vini Jr deal

This comes in the shape of Jude Bellingham, who can justifiably feel the odd man out. His annual salary when he started at Real Madrid was set at a little over €13m per year, The Sun reports, and while it has risen annually since, there is little doubt that there is a gulf between the England star and his superstar counterparts.

And if Bellingham may not have had the impact that Mbappe enjoyed last season as the Frenchman scored 41 goals, he can certainly argue that over his three years at the Bernabeu, he has matched if not exceeded what Vini Jr has done.

The England star, coming off the back of a World Cup in which he excelled, would therefore be forgiven for wanting his contract, which expires in 2029, reassessed in the next 12 months.

Why Jude Bellingham could become Jose Mourinho’s biggest weapon

This is both a problem and an opportunity for Real Madrid. Naturally, it’s not ideal to have a key figure in a state of discontent, yet Mourinho is the perfect coach to harness this unhappiness to spur Bellingham on to achieve the type of Ballon d’Or level he played to during his first six months at the club.

Throughout his career in the dugout, there has been no manager better than Mourinho at getting his players to channel their anger in the correct way, and for that reason, Real Madrid can go into the new season with high hopes for Bellingham.

It’s a situation that could become a win-win. Los Blancos get the best version of the 23-year-old, the one England saw at the World Cup, and in turn Bellingham is rewarded down the line with the type of contract that he deserves.

From the outside, it’s a situation that looks dicey, but with an experienced man-manager like Mourinho at the helm, expect Real Madrid to use this to their advantage.