I don’t know if the fans still love Vinicius - Ex-Real Madrid star

Former Real Madrid player and sporting director, Predrag Mijatovic, believes Vinicius Junior's fan support is diminishing due to Kylian Mbappe's growing popularity.

The 56-year-old Montenegrin football legend, who was instrumental in Madrid’s 1998 Champions League triumph, suggested that the Brazilian winger no longer enjoys the same affection from Los Blancos fans as he once did.

Mijatovic’s remarks come after a transitional season for the club, highlighted by Mbappe’s arrival and a lack of major trophies.

“I don’t know if the fans are as in love with Vinicius as they were two or three years ago, or if he has as much respect for them as he did then,” Mijatovic said in a press briefing.

He continued, “If Vinicius, Mbappe, or Rodrygo are not happy and do not feel the support of the club, they cannot perform.”

Mijatovic also sounded the alarm over Madrid’s Galactico model 2.0, suggesting that an over-concentration of star players may disrupt balance and morale.

“Accumulating great players, with a lot of market value, is always counterproductive. You have an asset that’s worth a lot, but you don’t get the most out of it. As the months go by, the player isn’t happy, and you don’t know if you will be able to sell him the following year,” he warned.

With Luka Modric joined Ac Milan, Toni Kroos already gone, and Casemiro long departed, Mijatovic believes that Real Madrid is entering a sensitive transitional era.

“You can’t remake the team in one summer. There are important decisions to be made. It’s about more than replacing legends – it’s about maintaining the culture and emotional connection with the fans,” he said.

Mbappe, signed on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain last summer, had a statistically dominant debut season, netting 44 goals in 59 appearances across all competitions. Despite his brilliance, Madrid ended the season without a trophy, falling short in La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and suffering a painful Champions League quarter-final exit to Arsenal.

By contrast, Vinicius Junior, once the toast of the Bernabeu, registered a modest return of 22 goals in 58 games.