According to OKDIARIO, the club has communicated directly to the Brazilian forward that the new era under Mourinho will operate on a single criterion — performance. No player will be guaranteed a starting place by reputation or seniority. That includes Vinicius.
This is not a statement of diminished faith in one of world football's most gifted attackers. At the club, he continues to be regarded as a difference-maker and one of the squad's most important assets. But his status as functionally immune from being dropped — a protection that existed in practice if not in writing throughout the Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa tenures — has been explicitly removed.
The precedent is instructive. When Xabi attempted to reduce Vinicius's untouchable standing during his brief time in charge, the effort generated internal friction and was never fully resolved. A dressing room already divided by the public altercation between Fede Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni absorbed a further fault line. Alonso's handling of the situation contributed to the atmosphere that eventually led to his dismissal.
Mourinho, arriving with the full institutional backing of Pérez and explicit authority over every aspect of squad management, is expected to approach the same challenge with considerably more leverage.
The club's view, as reported by OKDIARIO, is that Mourinho's strict meritocracy may actually prove beneficial for Vinicius. The 2025-26 season was not his best — performances were inconsistent at key moments, and his overall contribution drew more scrutiny than in previous years. Competition for places and the removal of comfortable certainty could, the club believes, serve as the stimulus he needs to rediscover his most dynamic form.
Vinicius is currently focused on the World Cup with Brazil, which he regards as a significant personal opportunity. He and his camp view the tournament as a chance to re-establish his standing in the global conversation around the game's elite players, and to return to Madrid with renewed momentum.
Mourinho, for his part, has not indicated any desire to remove Vinicius from the squad. He values the player's quality. What he does not value is the concept of a player who cannot be dropped.
At Real Madrid, from this week, that concept no longer applies to anyone.