Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior didn’t win the Ballon d’Or last season, but he did pick up the best player year of the year award from the FIFA The Best ceremony, entrenching himself as the most valuable star in world football.
Even with Kylian Mbappe in the squad, Vinicius Jr. remains the focal point of the Real Madrid attack and the team’s most impressive player with 8 goals and 5 assists in LaLiga this season despite missing several weeks with injury.
Although the transfer rumors to Saudi Arabia promising record-breaking wages are highly unlikely to materialize, the gargantuan offers from abroad are a reminder that as contract negotiations between Vinicius Jr. and Real Madrid continue to be a topic at the Valdebebas, the Brazilian icon is set to command serious money on his next deal.
Vinicius Jr. is ready to push for a raise in summer 2025
In fact, Relevo revealed that Vinicius Jr. passed on a new contract just this past summer, as he is holding out for even more money from Real Madrid, betting on himself to have another Ballon d’Or-caliber 2024/25 season to cement his financial value to the team.
Some of that comes from the backdrop of Mbappe becoming the club’s highest-paid player. Previously, Real Madrid gave Jude Bellingham a contract almost equivalent to Vinicius Jr. upon his signing from Dortmund in order to put the two superstars on level playing.
But with Mbappe, Real Madrid had to exceed 30 million euros in wages in order to bring the Frenchman to the Spanish capital, because he was making an unprecedented amount of money at PSG as part of the package that initially kept him away from Madrid in 2022.
Plus, free agents tend to cost more in salary than actual transfers, because the money saved on transfer fees can be allocated towards bonuses and wages that go directly to the player.
How much do Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe currently make?
Vinicius Jr. knows that and knows how important it is for Madrid to stay within LaLiga’s budget and their own in order to continue to afford the kinds of world-class players necessary for star forwards like Vini to continue to win team and individual trophies, especially with mounting defensive issues in Madrid.
However, Vinicius Jr. also knows that if he can prove that he is THE guy in Madrid, even with Mbappe in the side, and has another spellbinding season that surpasses his 2023/24 campaign, then he can bump his roughly 20 million euro salary to more than the 31.25 million euros that Mbappe is making.
We know Vinicius Jr. loves to donate a large portion of his money to humanitarian causes – in stark contrast to the negative European media perception that he is a pompous, selfish jerk – and so having a higher salary may be more important to him in continuing those efforts with his own foundations, moreso than any statement of money reflecting more value to the club over Mbappe. That’s surely less important.
Right now, Vini Jr.’s contract with Real Madrid ends after the 2026/27 season, so there is urgency to complete a deal next summer before Vinicius goes into the 2026/27 season with just one year left on his contract and the threat of a free transfer elsewhere.
The expected final offer for Vinicius Jr.
It’s impossible to envision Vinicius Jr. playing anywhere other than Real Madrid, and it is likely Real will have to scrap his current contract and give him a new five-year deal to keep him through his definite prime as a winger at the age of 29.
The reason for a new deal rather than an extension of the current one is simply because he will get a massive raise from around 20 to 30 million euros. Five year, 30 million euros per season is just the starting point, and his exact total could depend on smaller details, such as Real Madrid potentially matching donations or there being up-front bonuses to securing a deal.
Bottom line: Vinicius Jr. is about to get PAID, and he deserves it. He is the most consistent player in the world as a winger, changes games in an instant, does everything possible that you’d want from a winger to support the attack, and brings his “A” game in the Champions League knockouts when it matters most.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. You can contact him at kparvizi19[at]gmail.com.