Vinicius Junior reportedly demanded a salary package comparable to the club-record wage Real Madrid handed out to Cristiano Ronaldo at his peak during increasingly tense negotiations over a new contract.
The Brazilian forward has a deal with the Spanish giants which stretches until 2027. Vinicius revealed that he and the club were in an open dialogue about new terms back in February, but the latest reports from Spain claim that discussions have stalled.
Madrid are thought to be wary of handing Vinicius a salary which sparks a precedent for other players to demand increasingly eye-watering figures. Real need only look over to their La Liga rivals Barcelona to see the lasting damage that can be caused by a spiralling wage bill.
During the first round of renewal negotiations at the turn of the year, Vinicius’s representatives supposedly asked for what The Athletic described as a “historic contract”.
The steep annual salary demand thought to be in the realms of €30 million ($35 million) has not been handed out to any player in Real Madrid history aside from Cristiano Ronaldo. Yet, even the legendary Portuguese forward didn’t earn the “renewal bonus” which Vinicius has supposedly requested.
Madrid are thought to have a yearly salary cap of €20 million. This is reportedly how much Kylian Mbappé rakes in as the squad’s top earner and was the same valuation which the club supposedly offered to Vinicius before being met with his inflated terms.
The club’s reluctance to satisfy such an outlay extends beyond historic precedent. There are thought to be real concerns over the recent performances of the Brazil star, who is “out of favor” at the Santiago Bernabéu.
New manager Xabi Alonso was reportedly poised to drop Vinicius for the Club World Cup semifinal against Paris Saint-Germain this summer until Trent Alexander-Arnold picked up an injury ahead of the fixture. The 25-year-old ended up “disappointed” anyway as he was forced to start on the right wing with Mbappé out left and Gonzalo García through the middle.
Madrid’s incoming manager is unlikely to keep Vinicius on the bench once the 2025–26 campaign gets underway, but The Athletic claim that Alonso believes his mercurial winger “needs to improve” and may soon no longer be considered irreplaceable.
Vinicius will have the chance to prove his worth once again when Real Madrid begin their La Liga campaign against Osasuna on Aug. 19.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Vinicius Jr Requests ‘Historic’ Real Madrid Contract, ‘Comparable’ to Cristiano Ronaldo.
