What’s Going on With Vinicius Junior—Will Mourinho’s Patience Last?

Any lingering hopes that Vinícius Júnior just needed a big occasion to turbo-boost his sluggish start to the season were roundly dismantled in less than an hour at the Metropolitano on Sunday afternoon.

The statistics are damning. During the 2–1 Madrid derby defeat, the Brazilian managed a total of: zero shots on target, zero chances created, zero crosses completed and zero key passes. He also lost possession seven times.

After 54 minutes, directly following Dean Huijsen’s red card, Mourinho decided to recalibrate and Vinícius Jr. was the fall guy. It is the fourth time in a row he has been subbed.

After an only marginally better performance against Elche midweek, Vinícius Jr. posted on social media that “the goals will come back … I can’t miss so many.” At the moment, it sounds more like desperation than a promise from one of the game’s greats.

Mourinho’s Patience Wearing Thin?

Mourinho avoided talking about anything other than the refereeing directly after the derby, but has been forced to address Vinícius Jr.’s form in recent weeks, admitting the winger “isn’t at his best.”

Before the new manager’s arrival, it was predicted that the relationship between Mourinho and Vinícius Jr.—two of soccer’s more volatile forces—could become a powder keg. However, it is yet to ignite. Publicly, the manager has defended his superstar in the face of regular boos and whistles from his own fans, responding with the Portuguese proverb: “You only throw stones at trees that bear fruit.”

How long Mourinho’s backing lasts amid the rut remains to seen, with the early substitution on Sunday a sign that while he may defend his star in press conferences, a place in the lineup is not unconditional.

MARCA claims Mourinho’s initial plan had been to balance the minutes between Vinícius Jr. and Kylian Mbappé this season, in order to avoid friction between the two or any disparity in status. However, that idea has already “broken down” because Mbappé is flying and Vinícius Jr. is regularly getting hooked to the subs bench.

Real Madrid already trail Barcelona by six points after just seven games in La Liga and Vinícius Jr.—fairly or unfairly—is fast becoming one of the focal points of fan frustration. With Arda Güler impressing on the right with his abundant creativity and record signing Yan Diomande pushing for starts, there is now real pressure to change up the team sheet after the international break.

Vinícius Jr.’s Form Analyzed

Eight games into 2026–27, Vinícius Jr. has just one goal in 625 minutes of soccer—the third in a 4–1 win home win over Real Sociedad back on the first home match of the season.

He has, to be fair, always been a streaky player and does still have three assists this season. He won the (missed) penalty and set up a disallowed goal in the defeat to Real Betis. There have been some signs of life.

The trip to Atlético Madrid might have proved the perfect opportunity to light a fire under the 2024 Ballon d’Or runner-up. Vinícius Jr. may not have a prolific record against Madrid’s city rivals (two goals in 14 appearances), but scored twice in the 3–2 win over Atleti back in March, and has responded defiantly to the abuse he has received from the opposition fans in the past.

Instead, in defeat at the Metropolitano, the 26-year-old offered up his limpest display and seemed to wilt in the battle against a far hungrier and more aggressive opponent.

Vinícius Jr. in La Liga 2026-27

The problem is not solely one of mentality and old issues over tactics have come back to the fore. Every Real Madrid manager must play a game of “galáctico Tetris” as they attempt to find a way to, somehow, accommodate every superstar in a system that still functions as a team.

One viral graphic from L’Equipe after the game showed how Vinícius Jr. and Mbappé’s average position in Sunday’s loss was virtually identical, with both players gravitating to the same tract of space on the left channel. Mourinho’s rigidity to a 4-2-3-1 formation is seemingly marginalizing Vinícius Jr., but—given his form—it’s hard to argue that the team should be restructured around him.

The Vinícius Jr.-Mbappé conundrum is not the only issue Mourinho needs to solve regarding team coherence, but it is the one that may come to define his job.

The Contract Issue

The elephant in the room is that had Vinícius Jr. not signed a huge-money contract extension until 2032 last month and instead taken up an offer on the table from Arsenal, Madrid’s team would probably look more balanced, but—realistically—that was never going to happen.

Vinícius Jr. was and is far too valuable an asset for Madrid to let go, and, symbolically, the biggest club in the world cannot be seen to be one that entertains the idea of selling key players in their prime.

However, the dragging out of the negotiations and the flirtations with Arsenal left a bad taste in the mouths of those Madrid fans who need little excuse to jeer their own players.

The Brazilian is no stranger to criticism from his own fans, but when his tree stops bearing fruit, the situation is only compounded.

If he finds his scoring boots, the contract saga may be quickly forgotten by Real Madrid supporters, but the situation is currently adding to a feeling of unease around the club, given the poor start to the season and the all-too recent memories of last season’s chaos.