{
  "id": 8923141,
  "title": "Real Madrid superstar’s position in team at risk as Mourinho’s patience wears thin",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/real-madrid-superstars-position-in-team-at-risk-as-mourinhos-patience",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-21T12:55:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/real-madrid-superstar-position-team-125500862.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Real Madrid's star player, Vinicius Jr., faces uncertainty in his position within the team as Jose Mourinho's patience with his performance appears to be waning. Despite signing a lucrative contract extension in the summer, the Brazilian forward has struggled to deliver, registering only one goal in eight competitive matches. This concerning trend is evident in the recent derby defeat against Atletico Madrid, where Mourinho decided to substitute Vinicius in the 54th minute due to his lackluster performance. A similar treatment was not extended to Kylian Mbappe, who played the full 90 minutes. This marked Vinicius's fourth consecutive substitution, following his removals in matches against Inter Milan, Rayo Vallecano, and Elche. Following an initial attempt to manage both players' minutes cautiously, Mourinho now appears to have shifted his approach, focusing more on Vinicius. In contrast, Mbappe has played seven complete matches, accumulating a total of 720 minutes compared to Vinicius's 652. While Mbappe has scored eight goals in eight games, Vinicius has managed just one goal and three assists. The Portuguese coach's growing dissatisfaction with Vinicius' lackluster form has left him as the fifth-highest scorer at the club, behind Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler, and Carlos Espi. This worrying drop in performance, where Espi has already outscored Vinicius in just 26 minutes of football, highlights the significant fall from grace for the once-promising forward. Given that Real Madrid is currently five points behind Barcelona, and Mourinho is demanding improved performances, Vinicius Jr. now faces a daunting challenge to reclaim his starting spot. Unless his form significantly improves, the Brazilian may find himself relegated to the sidelines in what is already turning into a challenging season for Los Blancos.",
  "summary": "In a season that is already starting to create doubts among Real Madrid faithful, Vinicius Jr. has perhaps been the biggest disappointment so far.After signing a lucrative contract renewal in the summ...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Post Nigeria",
        "title": "LaLiga: Real Madrid suffer major injury blow after 2-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/laliga-real-madrid-suffer-major-injury-blow-after-2-1-defeat-to",
        "published": "2026-09-21T09:52:02.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}