Vinicius Junior’s Real Madrid contract is due to expire at the end of June 2027 — and there is still no sign of a renewal in sight.
Talks were first held back in January last year. A lot has happened since — with the Spanish club now likely to dismiss their third manager in that time, with Alvaro Arbeloa under considerable pressure.
Madrid are almost guaranteed to go without a major trophy for a second consecutive campaign. They were knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals last week and trail La Liga leaders Barcelona by nine points with six games to play, including a Clasico at the Camp Nou on May 10.
The Bernabeu leadership is known for its ruthless decisions in pursuit of success, and there is a growing sense that important steps will be taken in response.
In this context, Vinicius Jr has become a focal point for fan criticism of the side. During Tuesday’s 2-1 victory over Alaves he was whistled by sections of the stand — not for the first time this season. After scoring Madrid’s second goal, a brilliant strike from range, he held his hands up towards the stands in apology.
The supporters’ reaction towards Vinicius Jr does not affect Madrid’s plans. A contract extension for the 25-year-old Brazil international remains one of their top priorities.
Both Madrid and Vinicius Jr have made it known that they want to reach a new agreement, so why is it taking so long? Will the World Cup be a factor? What might happen next?
The article below contains information gathered from several sources who asked to speak anonymously as they did not have permission to comment.
What’s the view from Vinicius Jr’s side?
Vinicius Jr is earning around €17million (£14.7m; $19.8m) net per season, a similar salary to that of Kylian Mbappe, the squad’s highest-paid player. Madrid’s offer stands at around €20m net, but Vinicius Jr’s agents requested a package of just under €30m in talks last year.
That included his base salary, performance-related bonuses and a renewal bonus — something Madrid have not offered to any player before.
Those representing Vinicius Jr saw the renewal bonus option as a solution to securing higher earnings at a club with a very rigid wage scale, one that would emulate the signing bonuses Mbappe and David Alaba received when joining the club as free agents.
No significant progress has been made on the topic since last summer. Now, Vinicius Jr’s contract has 14 months to run.
Whenever a big star enters the final year of their contract, speculation always intensifies. In many instances, clubs feel pressured to reach a new deal or arrange a sale in the summer transfer window; either that or risk seeing them agree terms with a rival come January and later leaving on a free.
Vinicius Junior and Florentino Perez, pictured in July 2018 (Pierre-Philippe Marcou/AFP via Getty Images)
In Vinicius Jr’s case, it is difficult to imagine him moving on from Madrid this summer. Firstly, he would like most of all to stay at Madrid, where he arrived as an 18-year-old in 2018 from Flamengo in a deal worth €45million. Even if he did want to leave, doing so would not make financial sense, as departing on a free transfer in a year’s time would likely guarantee a bigger salary at a new club who would not have had to pay a fee.
Vinicius Jr wants to stay, but is there not a sense of immediate urgency from the player’s side right now. A good World Cup with Brazil could strengthen their hand in negotiations.
How do Real Madrid see this?
Madrid have shown no willingness whatsoever to meet Vinicius Jr’s demands so far. The club’s stance is one of confidence that he will renew, because both parties want the same thing.
A year ago, club sources even expressed that the extension was a done deal, which has led to much of the Spanish media reporting along those lines.
Although time is ticking away, the messages coming out of Madrid do not convey a sense of rush. Beyond Vinicius Jr’s desire to stay, one of the arguments highlighted is the strong bond between president Florentino Perez and the player.
Perez showed support for Vinicius Jr following his controversial reaction after being substituted by Xabi Alonso in the 72nd minute of the first Clasico of the season back on October 26, with Madrid 2-1 up.
Days later, Vinicius Jr apologised to Perez for his behaviour privately. During their meeting, the subject of his contract renewal came up, with the player explaining that he did not believe it was in his best interests to renew while his relationship with Alonso was strained.
Ultimately, Alonso’s lack of connection with Vinicius Jr (and other stars of the team) was one of the main reasons for his sacking in January. Alonso was succeeded by Arbeloa, promoted from the reserve team. Arbeloa has constantly defended Vinicius Jr from criticism, in a manner entirely in line with the club’s stance, and that has been appreciated by the forward.
Vinicius Jr’s form and mood has improved under Arbeloa (Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)
The obvious problem is the financial aspect. The difference between Madrid’s stance and Vinicius Jr’s demands is significant. Madrid’s board has previously shown it is committed to adhering to the club’s wage structure, even when this has jeopardised or prevented agreements on contract renewals or signings.
The clear intention is to make no exceptions to the established parameters, to prevent a contagion effect that could spiral out of control. However, Madrid have shown a willingness to soften in some previous instances.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos are examples of players who went through tense contract negotiations with Madrid.
The Portuguese renewed his contract on terms very close to his desired conditions in 2013, around a year after telling the press that he wasn’t celebrating goals because he was sad.
The Spaniard did the same in 2015, after having been the hero of Madrid’s La Decima Champions League title in 2014, and with Manchester United’s reported interest making many headlines.
In both cases, the processes were highly publicised and controversial, with the players ending up satisfied. But this was not the case towards the end of their careers.
In 2018, Madrid did not accept Ronaldo’s financial demands for another renewal and he left for Juventus. In 2021, Madrid decided to withdraw their offer of an extension to Ramos as the defender wanted a longer contract, despite the club’s unwritten rule that players over 30 must renew on a year-by-year basis.
Why have some Madrid fans been booing him?
Simply put, Vinicius Jr has failed to live up to expectations this season, something those closest to him had already pictured last summer. Before the start of the new La Liga season back in August, sources at his camp predicted: “It’s not going to be an easy season.”
That was a reflection of early tensions between Vinicius Jr and Alonso, who had arrived as Carlo Ancelotti’s replacement in May and took charge at the Club World Cup over June and July.
Alonso had planned to bench Vinicius Jr for the semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain (which the French team won 4-0) but injury to Trent Alexander-Arnold changed his plans. Vinicius Jr started, but was asked to play on the right wing to link up with Mbappe and academy graduate Gonzalo Garcia, which did not please the Brazilian.
The manager-player relationship was a regular source of internal tension and external debate. It came to a head on the night of the first Clasico of the season. In the 72nd minute and with Madrid leading Barcelona 2-1, Alonso substituted Vinicius Jr, who reacted with immense anger.
As he stormed off the pitch, cameras from broadcaster DAZN captured him saying: “Always me. I’m leaving the team, it’s better if I leave, I’m leaving.”
Multiple sources within the club saw that as a key turning point in the season. The 2-1 win put Madrid five points ahead of Barca at the top of La Liga, after 10 games played. By January they had slipped four points behind their Clasico rivals, and Alonso was fired.
At the first home game after that sacking, three days after Madrid were beaten by second-division Albacete in the Copa del Rey in Arbeloa’s first match in charge, Vinicius Jr was one of the main focal points of booing and whistling from the Bernabeu stands, with fans also calling for Perez to resign.
Under Arbeloa, Madrid have fallen further still behind Barca — they now trail by nine points — but Vinicius Jr’s output has improved, even if he has remained a focus for supporters wanting to express their displeasure.
Under Alonso, he scored seven goals and provided 11 assists in 33 appearances. Under Arbeloa, he has scored 12 goals and made seven assists in 21 matches, providing the team’s main attacking threat in key fixtures during Mbappe’s absence through injury.
Vinicius Jr is not the only Madrid star to have been whistled at the Bernabeu, but it was rather extraordinary to see a player scoring a fantastic goal and then apologise to the crowd, as he did on Tuesday in the 2-1 win over Alaves.
