José Mourinho has drawn a line under an awkward past and put his support squarely behind Vinícius Júnior, saying the Real Madrid forward can count on him this season. The 63-year-old made the remark on El Chiringuito while speaking about his return to the Bernabéu and the role he now has working side by side with Vinícius Jr.
The timing matters because Mourinho was not always on that side of the argument. Last February, he firmly backed Gianluca Prestianni after accusations that the player had hurled racist insults at Vinícius Jr during a Champions League match with Benfica, saying Prestianni was his player and that loyalty ended the debate. Prestianni later said he had used a homophobic slur instead, and he was handed a six-match ban that FIFA upheld. Mourinho’s public shift now places him in direct support of the same player he once appeared to challenge in that dispute.
What brought the subject back into focus was a recent match incident that still clearly rankled him. During Real Madrid’s 3–0 preseason win over Schalke, Vinícius Jr was denied a penalty, and Mourinho said he was already out in the middle of the field fighting for him when the call went against the forward. That detail explains why the question around him is not just about words on television, but about whether Mourinho is prepared to back Vinícius Jr when it matters on the pitch.
Mourinho framed the answer plainly: Vinícius Jr knows which side he is on and can look to him for support. The friction is obvious, though. A coach who once defended Prestianni in a racism-related row involving Vinícius Jr is now publicly aligning himself with the Madrid forward as questions about loyalty follow him back to the Bernabéu. For Vinícius Jr, the next test will not be another interview, but whether that promise holds the next time he is the one left arguing over a decision.
