Mourinho has revealed how he convinced Vinicius to sign a new contract with Real Madrid

The new head coach of Real Madrid, Jose Mourinho, spoke about his decisive role in keeping one of the main stars of the team, Vinicius Junior. The 26-year-old Brazilian entered the final 12 months of his previous contract and could become a free agent as early as next summer. London Arsenal was actively interested in this situation, hoping to intercept one of the best wingers in the world. However, Vinicius put an end to all rumors earlier this month by signing a new long-term six-year contract with Real Madrid. The 63-year-old Portuguese specialist, whose return to the Santiago Bernabeu for a second spell was confirmed in June, shared details of a candid conversation with the player on Spanish TV show El Chiringuito. "Vinicius is in love with Real Madrid. The only thing I said to him was: "Vini, where do you want to go? You've only been to Brazil and you only know Real Madrid. You will understand Real only when you leave here. That's when you realize what Real Madrid is. don't go It's not worth it," admitted Mourinho. The coach also added that the player's decision was influenced by the general atmosphere within the team: "I think that the way he felt the growth of the group, the way we worked and developed, caused him a very important feeling," - emphasized Uziliy. It is interesting that the relationship between Mourinho and Vinicius passed a serious test last season, when the Portuguese headed the Lisbon Benfica. In the Champions League playoff match between Real and Benfica, a high-profile incident occurred: Madrid accused the Portuguese midfielder Gianluca Prestianni of racist and homophobic insults towards Vinicius. Because of this, the match had to be stopped for about eight minutes. Prestianni denied all the accusations, and Mourinho then resolutely defended his protege. UEFA later suspended Prestianni for a total of six matches (three for racism and three for homophobic behaviour). Now, having become coach of Vinicius, Mourinho explained his position at the time and assured the Brazilian of his full support: "Prestianni was my player. That's all. Undoubtedly. If he's my player, I can be attacked by at least 20 people and I'll still be with him. End of story. But I think Viney now knows whose side I'm on and knows that he can look me in the eye and rely on me," Mourinho summed up. It will be recalled that earlier Mourinho openly commented on the failure of Rodri's transfer.