Real Madrid secured a convincing 4-1 victory over RB Leipzig in preparation for El Clasico, yet Vinicius Jr struggled to make an impact on the field.
Vinicius failed to score or provide an assist on Wednesday night, leading coach Jose Mourinho to replace him in the 70th minute with Yan Diomande, who is competing for the same position.
The Brazilian appeared dejected as he left the pitch, a sentiment that deepened when Diomande assisted Kylian Mbappe for the third goal in the 83rd minute, followed by scoring himself in the 87th minute to finalize the score at 4-1.
Mourinho: “It’s a Very Personal Matter”
In the post-match press conference, Mourinho took a diplomatic approach when discussing Vinicius’s performance. “Vini played well, he defended very well, and he almost scored a fantastic goal. Is he sad? Only he can say if he feels that way, but his coach is happy with his performance. It’s a very personal matter. Only he knows how he feels. As a coach, I’m satisfied with what he did. There are always high expectations for Vini to be decisive, but I liked his performance. He had more defensive responsibility than the other forwards and covered a lot of ground. The substitution wasn’t because I was dissatisfied, but because I have a deep bench with players who can contribute differently,” Mourinho explained.
He added, “You have to get used to it: I take off a decent player for another who may offer something different. I believe he needs everyone’s support. If being booed away from home is motivating, it hurts when it happens at home,” the Real Madrid coach stated.
Vinicius Jr Responds: “I Live in the Moment. Everything Passes”
Later that night, Vinicius Jr shared his thoughts via social media, maintaining his typical approach with a brief message reflecting a mindset of resilience.
On Instagram, he simply stated: “I live in the moment. Everything passes.” Mourinho refrained from revealing whether he would start Vinicius or Diomande in the upcoming El Clasico, saying, “Yan was focused solely on this match, not on El Clasico.”
“Vini is fine. If he is sad, it’s because he wants to contribute so much to the team and the fans. He should be proud of who he is, a great player; he has the necessary quality and needs to stay calm,” said Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid’s forward.
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