Mourinho’s explosive admission about a Real Madrid star: In his shoes, I would not have stayed

Real Madrid head coach Jose Mourinho dropped a bombshell in his press conference before the trip to Sevilla, with an unexpected admission about one of the team’s biggest stars: in his position, he would not have stayed at the club.

The Portuguese coach’s words were a clear defence of the player, but they also revealed the pressure the star is living under and raised questions about what is happening behind the scenes.

According to GOAL, Mourinho said of Vinicius Junior: “If I were in his position, I probably would not have stayed here,” adding: “I would have forced the club to let me leave for a country where they respect me.”

He continued: “He is a wonderful young man, and it is easy to build a good relationship with him. I appreciate him a great deal, because he always manages to carry on with his life and endure with a smile,” before adding: “I have serious doubts that I would have had the same strength to stay here.”

On the four-match ban, Mourinho said: “I am happy with the punishment, because they were going to punish him with more matches,” explaining that he thought “certain things arranged behind the scenes” would get the Brazilian one or two extra games.

Vinicius will miss the LaLiga games against Sevilla, Barcelona in the Clasico, Racing and Valencia after his red card against Villarreal, but Mourinho hinted he could start on Wednesday: “Vinicius has to work more, and without promising anything… I think he will start on Wednesday.”

Mourinho also stressed that Vinicius signed his new contract “to say that Real Madrid is his home,” and that he has a good relationship with everyone in the dressing room.