José Mourinho Challenges Vinicius Júnior to Score More Goals

José Mourinho has rarely been shy about asking more from his stars, and on the eve of Real Madrid’s trip to Elche he made his message to Vinicius Júnior unmistakably clear: the work is good, but the goals must return.

Speaking before Tuesday’s late kick-off at the Martínez Valero (21:30 CET), the Portuguese coach began by praising the Brazilian’s evolution without the ball. He underlined Vinicius’ defensive commitment, his willingness to track back and his growing understanding of Madrid’s tactical structure. For Mourinho, that daily grind, the constant pressing and combination play, is now a non‑negotiable part of the team’s engine.

He made sure that credit landed first.

Then he sharpened the focus.

“The best version is scoring,” Mourinho told the media. Assists matter, he said. Sacrificing for the team matters. Training with intensity matters. Vinicius, in his eyes, ticks all of those boxes “very well”. But Mourinho drew a clear line between the Vinicius who helps and the Vinicius who kills games.

“There is another Vinicius,” he insisted.

He went back to a recent benchmark, one that still lingers in his mind: the Brazilian’s ruthless display against elite European opposition. Mourinho recalled a cold, clinical night against Benfica last season. “A Vinicius who went to Benfica last year and had one chance, one goal, and home.” One opportunity, no hesitation, game decided. That, he stressed, is the “ultra-high-level performance” currently missing.

The message was not wrapped in criticism so much as challenge. Vinicius has earned trust through his work rate and tactical discipline. Now Mourinho wants the forward who turns tight matches into victories with a single strike.

Real Madrid will need that edge in Elche. The away fixture is a demanding one in the league calendar, and the margins at the top of the table leave little room for waste. Three points are the objective, nothing less.

Inside the dressing room, the hope is simple: that their coach’s public call sharpens the instincts of his main attacking star and brings back the version of Vinicius who doesn’t just contribute to the performance, but decides it.