Diomande’s rise puts Vinicius Junior’s Real Madrid role under pressure

Vinicius Junior’s position as an automatic starter for Real Madrid is facing its biggest challenge yet, with the emergence of record signing Yann Diomande giving Jose Mourinho a new tactical option before the Clasico.

Spanish newspapers AS and Marca have reported that the Brazilian winger is no longer producing the performances supporters at the Santiago Bernabeu have come to expect from him. His decline has been accompanied by subdued jeers from the home crowd, including after he was substituted in the 70th minute against Leipzig in the Champions League.

Vinicius has now gone 53 consecutive days without scoring, having failed to convert any of 19 attempts. His trademark dribbling has also disappeared: he did not attempt one against Leipzig or in the previous match against Roma.

The forward later posted a brief message on his social media accounts, writing: “I am living in the moment… and everything passes.”

Mourinho removes Vinicius’ special status

Vinicius’ four-match domestic suspension, imposed after his dismissal against Villarreal, has also given Mourinho an opportunity to leave him out without having to make that decision himself.

Asked whether the Brazilian remained an untouchable player, Mourinho rejected the idea that anyone at Real Madrid could claim such status.

“The only thing that is untouchable at this club is the badge,” he said. “I do not like the concept of an untouchable player. What makes a player untouchable is only his performance and impact on the pitch.”

That position has been reflected in Vinicius’ recent usage. He has played six consecutive matches without completing any of them through to the 90th minute.

Diomande, the most expensive signing in Real Madrid’s history at £125m, has moved from being viewed as a long-term investment to becoming one of Mourinho’s most important immediate solutions.

He has completed seven more successful dribbles than Vinicius despite playing significantly fewer matches, and scored a spectacular long-range goal against Leipzig after replacing the Brazilian in the 70th minute.

His contribution has also addressed a defensive weakness in Real Madrid’s usual attack. The team has been vulnerable down the left when Vinicius plays alongside Kylian Mbappe, with neither consistently providing defensive cover.

Diomande has offered greater defensive commitment, regularly winning the ball and tracking back to cover the space behind the full-back. That balance has allowed Mourinho to reshape his attack, using Diomande on the left and Federico Valverde on the right while giving Arda Guler room to operate alongside Aurelien Tchouameni in midfield.

Vinicius will watch the Clasico from the stands because of his suspension, while Diomande is expected to lead Real Madrid’s tactical approach.

The statistics underline the contrast. Against Sevilla, Diomande scored once and created three goals. He then scored against Villarreal before Vinicius was sent off, and against Leipzig he supplied an assist before coming off the bench to score Real Madrid’s fourth goal.

Since the start of the season, Diomande has scored three goals and provided four assists. Vinicius has scored once and set up three goals, despite playing considerably more minutes.