José Mourinho called Vinícius Júnior's display “very acceptable” after Real Madrid's 3-2 win away at AEK Athens FC on 2026-11-04, but that defence only sharpened the split around his form. Vinícius was substituted in the 81st minute and finished on a 6.41 rating, well below Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham, who both scored 8.2.

Mourinho's defence and the backlash

Speaking after the match, Mourinho also said, “You have to think about the result, but also about Valencia. That is why I changed Diomande and Bernardo.” He added: “With Vini, so far 80% soft hand and 20% hard.” In a separate comment reported by SPORT1, he described Vinícius as having delivered “a quite acceptable game, although not an extraordinary one, just like the team.”

That framing did not satisfy Jorge Valdano, who argued that “acceptable” was far too soft for a player “whom we have portrayed as totally decisive.” Santi Cañizares was even blunter, saying, “Vinicius is incapable of defending that status on the field of play.” He also linked the debate to the 2024 Ballon d'Or fallout, saying, “What has sat Vinicius worst is losing that Ballon d'Or and feeling himself in a situation in which a club bends to him and does not travel to the Ballon d'Or gala.”

The form argument around Vinícius

There is at least a case for the critics on the footballing side. Vinícius's Champions League season rating stands at 6.46, and his last five ratings have been 6.15, 5.94, 5.83, 6.29 and 6.41. That is a patchy run, not one bad night in Athens, and it is why the tone of the debate has turned so quickly.

The other side is not empty noise either. Real Madrid won the game, are four wins from four in the Champions League, and the attack still produced decisive numbers from elsewhere. But after a 6.41 showing, a substitution in the 81st minute and two former Madrid voices openly questioning his level, Vinícius leaves Athens with the argument still running, and Real Madrid host their next European test with the pressure on him still in place.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →