Marc Cucurella has defended Vinicius Junior amid the Brazilian’s difficult start to the season, insisting that team-mate Yan Diomande does not help him more defensively than the Real Madrid forward does. Real Madrid have paused an eight-game winning run for the international break, during the best spell under boss Jose Mourinho, and are hoping Vinicius rediscovers his form with Brazil under Carlo Ancelotti. Cucurella shares that wish.

Cucurella on Vinicius Junior and Diomande

Speaking on the Cope radio programme El Partidazo, the Spanish left-back was asked about the poor start to the season of Vinicius, who has just one goal and three assists in 12 matches. The decline in his form, together with a suspension that kept him out of the last four La Liga games, has led to the meteoric rise of Diomande, who has made a difference on the left side.

Beyond four goals and four assists in 16 matches, the Ivory Coast forward has been praised for his tactical commitment, helping Cucurella with defensive recovery. But the Real Madrid number 17 rejects the idea that Diomande helps him more with marking than the Brazilian does.

‘I do not think he helps me more, I think he is more visible,’ Cucurella said. ‘Diomande runs back and is everywhere. Vinicius goes back three times and then, the fourth time he does not run, the ball is played in. If Vini scored three goals per game, nobody would say anything to him.’

Cucurella’s earlier promise to Vinicius

Days after his signing from Chelsea was announced in late June, the defender told Radio Marca that he ‘did not mind’ if Vinicius ‘does not track back or help in defence’, because he wanted the number seven energised to have an impact in the final third with goals. Cucurella also told Vinicius that he would do all the ‘dirty work’ for him.

Despite that consent, the forward has helped with the compactness without the ball, following the Portuguese boss’s guidance. The main problem is that, in possession, the 26-year-old has not shown the same efficiency as in recent years in dribbles in one-on-one situations and in decision-making.

Like other figures at Real Madrid, the Spaniard came out in defence of Vinicius, considering a dip in form natural after consecutive seasons among the best players in the world. The left-back also insisted that Vinicius has been working behind the scenes to react and regain his prominence, which he considers fundamental to Mourinho’s success in 2026-27.

‘Vinicius is a player who has been performing at a spectacular level for five years, so it is understandable that he is going through a difficult phase now,’ Cucurella continued. ‘I see that he is motivated and works hard in training, and that is what matters.’

‘The most important thing for us is that he returns to his best level, because if he is at his peak, we have a great team,’ he concluded.