Vini Jr Under Mourinho at Real Madrid: The Challenge That Could Define Brazil at the World Cup
Mourinho arrives at Real with €224m in signings, but how Vini Jr, Mbappé and Bellingham fit together remains a mystery — and that has serious consequences for Brazil.
Real Madrid spent €224 million on reinforcements, brought Mourinho back, and yet the biggest problem remains exactly the same: how to make Mbappé, Vini Jr and Bellingham shine at the same time. For Brazil, that answer matters enormously.
According to ge, the three most recent managers at the Spanish club failed to solve that puzzle. Mourinho arrives with the mission of restoring order to a dressing room that, following Ancelotti's departure, went through no shortage of internal crises. That is no small task.
The most likely system, according to ge's analysis, is a 4-2-3-1 in possession that shifts into a 4-4-2 out of it — similar to what Mourinho used at Benfica. In that setup, Vini Jr would enjoy greater attacking freedom, with Cucurella covering his back on the left. It looks good on paper. But last season's Real Madrid was not a team — it was a collection of world-class individuals with far too much space between the lines, as ge points out.
There is more: Éder Militão begins the season injured, with his return pencilled in for October only. For the national team, that is a warning sign. The centre-back is a cornerstone of Brazil's defence, and arriving at the 2026 World Cup short of match sharpness would be a serious problem.
Golmetria's model already sees Brazil exiting before the quarter-finals at the World Cup — the current numbers paint a worrying picture for the Seleção. France, meanwhile, with Mbappé at the heart of Mourinho's project, shows genuine chances of going deep into the tournament.
Real Madrid's season kicks off on 26 August against Real Sociedad. That is when Mourinho starts providing — or failing to provide — the answers Brazil also needs to hear.