Speaking ahead of his side's LaLiga clash with Sevilla, Mourinho commented on his Brazilian forward's resilience. The 26-year-old was heavily linked with a move away from the Bernabeu over the summer, with Premier League champions Arsenal rumoured to be extremely interested in his services. That was until Vinicius signed a new bumper contract that will keep him at the club until 2032.

He will not feature in tonight's home game against a Sevilla side who sit in fifth place in the LaLiga table, just one spot and four points behind Mouruinho's stuttering side. That is because he is serving the first of a four-match ban having been shown a straight red card in last week's 1-0 win over Villarreal.

Incredibly, the Brazil international thought he had scored from Jude Bellingham's cutback to double Los Blancos' lead just 20 minutes after coming off the bench but the build-up to the goal was reviewed by VAR and, not only was his goal chalked off, but Vinicius was shown a straight red card for pulling the hair of Nathan Saliba.

That would have been just his second goal of the season for his club with his first - and only - strike coming back on 26th August in the second game of the season against Real Sociedad. He did score a goal for his country in a friendly against Australia but it has been a noticable drop in form for a player who has won 14 honours since signing for the club as an 18 year-old from Flamengo in 2018. 

This has led to him being on the receiving end of jeers and taunts from the notoriously-harsh Real Madrid fans and that will not have eased after his performance in midweek against Roma in the Champions League. With his side 3-1 down just before the hour, Mourinho gave Vinicius the hook and his replacemenet Endrick inspired an incredible comeback as they left the Italian capital with a 4-3 win. 

Despite this, Mourinho came out in support of his troubled star ahead of tonight's game saying that it was his love for the club and the city of Madrid that led him to sign his contract.

"If I were him, I probably wouldn't be here." quipped the Portuguese manager.

"I would have forced my exit over the summer to a club, league and country that respects me. But this club is his home and that is why he has stayed. I doubt I would have the pyschological strength to stay when I had so many options."