Jose Mourinho leapt to the defence of Vinicius Junior after Real Madrid opened their La Liga campaign with a 2-1 win over Espanyol on Saturday evening.
The Brazilian clashed repeatedly with the home players throughout the match, most notably with Cala. Both men picked up a caution in the 32nd minute.
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Speaking at the post-match press conference, Mourinho said: “I know there is a risk that you go back a few months and dig out my previous comments from when I was an opponent of Vini. Now Vini is my player. He is not a saint, but what they do to him goes beyond all limits from the very first minute.”
“Repeated fouling”
He added: “It’s a pattern that repeats from one opponent to another (I foul him first, then you foul him, and if you get a yellow card you foul him, and if you’re substituted another comes on without a card to foul him).”
“He (Vinicius) must exercise a very high level of self-control,” Mourinho continued, “and I have told him that if he scores a goal he must be careful about how he celebrates it.”
The Portuguese went on: “We live in a social era that fights bullying, but with Vini we are still living in the phase of bullying from opponents and fans. We have to educate him and prepare him as much as possible, and that is all there is to it.”
His words carry an irony. Only months ago, when he was in charge of Benfica, Mourinho found himself embroiled in a controversy with the very same player.
Back then, the Portuguese criticised Vinicius for dancing in front of the “Eagles” fans during a Champions League tie between Real Madrid and Benfica, a night that also saw the Brazilian tangle with home player Gianluca Prestianni of Argentina.
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