Don't p*ss off Mourinho - Vinicius Junior doesn't know who he is dealing with

Analysis

FT Desk

Vinicius Junior isn't dealing with relatively inexperienced head coaches like Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa now, which is why he should think about changing his attitude under the tutelage of Jose Mourinho.

Despite transfer window flirtations with Arsenal that were never going to amount to anything, the Brazilian now has what he wanted all along - a lucrative new contract at Santiago Bernabéu.

He has been decent if unspectacular since, with one goal and two assists in Real Madrid's opening four La Liga matches.

Vini was one of Madrid's better performers in the 1-0 loss against Real Betis on Friday, in which Kylian Mbappe missed a penalty, but his actions afterwards won't go down well with his Portuguese boss.

In one video circulating on social media, Mourinho approaches Vini to speak and although the pair exchange a short handshake, the player walks away briskly before his manager can talk. Some have called it a snub and although we may be looking too much into this, it didn't look great.

بدت المشاكل 😋 pic.twitter.com/bKpd41kl4m

— Bandr (@itsband3r) September 4, 2026

If this were any other player, apart from perhaps Mbappe, this wouldn't be such a big deal but the Brazilian's attitude has been called into question on a number of occasions during his Real Madrid career.

Just look at last season and his relationship with then-coach Alonso. Vinicius felt he was being taken off too often and struggled to understand Alonso’s approach. The situation boiled over during a Clasico when Alonso substituted him while Madrid were leading 2–1. Vini was visibly furious and was heard saying he was going to leave the club and it was that incident that catalysed speculation that he could leave the following summer.

The club chose Vini over Alonso, in the end.

But, even though the club may choose Vini over Mourinho eventually, the Portuguese head coach will simply not stand for such insubordination.

Mourinho has proved time and time again that he is willing to drop big stars if they show him a lack of respect. In the recent documentary on his career and life, part of it detailed his relationship with legendary goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

The 'Special One' eventually benched the World Cup winner due to alleged complaints about training and his close relationship with Barcelona players in the Spain squad.

Mourinho's treatment of Casillas did not go down well with the rest of the Real Madrid squad and he eventually lost the support of key figures like Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos. From there, the writing was on the wall.

He may have lost the war on that one, as he was eventually sacked, but he undoubtedly won plenty of battles and Vinicius Junior would undoubtedly not take too kindly to being benched, certainly not in the quiet-if-sulking manner Casillas did.

Mourinho has dealt with better players with bigger egos than Vini - like Ronaldo - so the Brazilian must be prepared to work on this relationship so that things don't completely blow up.

In Mourinho's first competitive match since returning to Madrid, Los Blancos defeated Espanyol 2-1 but Vini was booked after an altercation with defender Cala in the first half. Afterwards, the Portuguese said his player needs to have "great emotional control" as he is often the target of bullies in the opposition team, who look to catalyse a reaction from him.

"I spoke to him at half-time, and I even told him in detail: 'If you score a goal, be careful how you celebrate it so I can keep you on the field.' It's tough," he said.

"We're in a social era of anti-bullying. With Vini Jr, we're still in the bullying era, whether it's from opponents or the crowd.

"We need to educate him as much as possible and prepare him as much as possible. And that's it."

Though Mourinho will support Vini in public, for now, he will certainly have a quiet word in his office about that frosty exchange after the Betis loss.