Watching the Vinicius Junior contract saga unfold has been an entirely frustrating and helplesse experience for the Real Madrid faithful. They do not want to see a two time Champions League winner and a passionate pillar of the club who has grown up before their eyes from Flamengo wunderkid to inconsistent starter to bona fide superstar in the span of nearly a decade at the club.
But with less than a year remaining on his contract and no signs yet of an agreement betwen player and club despite negotiations that have been ongoing for more than a year, Real Madrid fans are beginning to see the tragic writing on the wall as Arsenal and Mikel Arteta circle what could be one of the all time biggest Premier League transfers.
There are a lot of comparisons that have been made between Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. since the former's arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2024. And they all have a negative connotation embedded within them. Who is more responsible for Real Madrid going trophyless? Who is the bigger problem in the locker room? Which player should the club build around? Can they co-exist when we were sold that they could? Who deserves to be paid more?
Real Madrid can't lose Jude Bellingham
The last of those questions has already been answered, though. Florentino Perez and Real Madrid already made Mbappe the highest paid player, but they didn't really have a choice. That's because when a player signs as a free agent, it is customary for their bonuses and wages to be inflated without a transfer fee. In most cases, that does not actually destabilize the wage structure, because the other players negotiating for deals in defense, for example, understand that Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba were big names who got big contracts because they were free agents.
But it is very rare for a superstar in his prime like Kylian Mbappe to hit free agency, and the figures involved in the deal were astronomical and broke the Real Madrid wage structure. Now, Vinicius Jr. and Roc Nation are looking at Mbappe's deal as a reference point, and while Vini isn't exactly asking for the same money as Mbappe got, he does want a better image rights cut, more bonuses akin to what Mbappe got, and wages approaching a superstar he, rightfully, feels he should be on level playing with in the same team.
The reason why Florentino Perez and Real Madrid are reluctant to give him what he wants and pay him like Mbappe is because of the trickle down effect it will have on everyone else. And the player they are really worried about is Jude Bellingham, who is a unique midfield talent with an even bigger presence than Vinicius Jr., and he is probably even more valuable than Mbappe, too, considering he is younger, has fewer players in the world who can do what he does, and has a lot of media attention and sponsorship potential as the face of the England national team.
If Real Madrid give VInicius Junior a close enough deal to Mbappe with alll the bells and whistles of bonuses, then they can no longer say that Mbappe's deal was a special, free agent contract. They then have to start giving these concessions financially to everyone else who wants a new deal, starting with Jude, whose contract negotiation will become a topic as early as next summer with a deal that expires in 2029. And if Real have to choose between letting Vini go or paying Jude a more reasonable package with less risk of losing him, Flo has to choose the midfielder over another left sided forward. Because in 2024, he already chose Mbappe over Vini, even if he didn't realize it.
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