Jose Mourinho told Vinicius Jr it was “not worth” leaving Real Madrid as he successfully persuaded the Brazilian to remain at the club.
The 26-year-old had entered the final 12 months of his contract at the Bernabeu, meaning he would have been able to leave Real for free next summer.
Premier League champions Arsenal were alerted to the possibility of landing one of the world’s top wingers as contract talks wore on but Vinicius Jr eventually committed his future to Real earlier this month by signing a six-year contract.
And Mourinho, 63, whose return to Real for a second stint in charge was confirmed in June, spoke of his part in keeping the Brazil international in the Spanish capital.
Mourinho said on Spanish TV show El Chiringuito: “Vinicius has fallen in love with Real Madrid.
“The only thing I told him was: ‘Vini, where do you want to go? You’ve only been in Brazil and you only know Real Madrid. You only understand Real Madrid when you leave. When you leave that’s when you realise what Real Madrid is. Don’t leave. It’s not worth it.’
“I think what he has felt in terms of the group’s growth, the way we’ve been working and developing, has given him a very important feeling.”
Mourinho came up against Real three times in the Champions League last season, when he was manager of Benfica.
During their second meeting – the first leg of their knockout phase play-off – Real players alleged that Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni racially abused Vinicius, resulting in the match stopping for around eight minutes.
Prestianni denied the claims and Mourinho defended his player.
Uefa later banned Prestianni for three matches, with a further three suspended, for homophobic conduct.
Mourinho addressed the incident and said Vinicius can “rely on me to be on his side”.
“Prestianni was my player. That’s it. There’s no debate. If Prestianni is my player, 20 players can come at me and I’m still with Prestianni. End of story,” he said.
“I think Vini now knows what side I am now on and knows he can look me in the eye and rely on me to be on his side.”
