A royal predicament: Real Madrid trio pay the price for Vinicius's presence

Paulo Rincón, the former Real Madrid star, has identified three players at Los Blancos who will never shine if Vinícius Júnior features in the starting line-up of the royal club.

The Defensa Central network published Poli Rincón's comments from the Latigo Serrano channel on YouTube. Rincón picked apart the lack of chemistry between Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior over recent seasons, and the toll the Brazilian takes on the team's left-backs.

For Rincón, the number 7 is the man to blame. He would drop him to the bench without a second thought, convinced Vinícius is dragging the Royal club's level down.

"Vinícius is a static player in his position, even if it does not appear that way," he said. "Neither Marc Cucurella nor Carreras will shine playing with Vinícius on the left side, and the same applies to Jude Bellingham, because Vinícius does not take part in the movements made by his teammates."

He went on: "Vinícius wants the side and the space to be his alone, and he cannot be moved out of there. He is a player who, if he does not participate in his teammates' movements and in exploiting the spaces they move into, makes it impossible for Bellingham to shine. And if we add to that the fact that Mbappé has the freedom to move towards the left side in many situations."

With Vinícius on the pitch, Rincón argues, Mbappé gets handed jobs that simply don't suit him. The chemistry flows far more freely alongside Diomande.

"Mbappé will never get into physical battles with the defenders, because every player has his own abilities and characteristics," the former Real Madrid man explained. "The coach has to work on bringing out these abilities, not the abilities of another player."

Rincón would never have renewed the Brazilian's contract. He would have sold him last summer. In his eyes, Vinícius will never shine at Real Madrid while Mbappé and Bellingham are around, and the recent run has shown the team is sharper without him. That view, though, is far from unanimous inside the Royal club.

Criticising Vinícius comes easily right now. He isn't delivering, and he needs to rediscover his best by sharpening his physical condition and winning back the confidence he lost over recent months. Yet the number 7 has been stuck in a rut for two years, his level falling away sharply after he was denied the 2024 Ballon d'Or, a snub many felt was unjust, until he reached where he stands today.

José Mourinho is now trying to coax the best version out of him. His demand is simple: give what Diomande gives. That means relentless pressing and constant help for the left-back in his defensive work.

Fail to buy into that, with Diomande keeping up his current form, and Vinícius will find a route back into the starting line-up hard to come by.