Mourinho: Vinícius Faces Bullying, Opponents Coordinate to Target Him

Real Madrid head coach José Mourinho publicly defended Brazilian forward Vinícius Júnior following the club’s 2–1 victory over Espanyol on Saturday evening—the opening match of Real Madrid’s La Liga campaign.

The Portuguese manager addressed repeated physical confrontations involving Vinícius during the match, particularly with Espanyol defender Óscar Calvo—known as “Kala”—which led to both players receiving yellow cards in the 32nd minute.

Bullying Beyond Acceptable Limits

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Mourinho said: “I know there is a risk you’ll go back a few months and dig up my earlier statements when I was competing against Viní. Now Viní is my player. He is not a saint—but what they do to him goes beyond the line from the very first minute.”

He described a recurring pattern across opponents: “It’s a repeated script—from one rival to another. I hit him first, then you hit him. If you get a yellow card, you hit him next. If he’s substituted, someone else comes on without a caution to hit him.”

Mourinho emphasized the need for composure, telling reporters: “Vinícius must maintain extremely high self-control. I’ve instructed him that if he scores, he must pay close attention to how he celebrates.”

The coach added: “We live in a social era that actively combats bullying—but with Vinícius, we’re still operating in a bullying phase: from opponents and from fans. Our responsibility is to educate him and prepare him as thoroughly as possible—and that is all there is to it.”

This public stance follows a controversial incident just months earlier, when Mourinho—then managing Benfica—criticized Vinícius for his dance celebration in front of Benfica’s supporters, known as “the Eagles,” during a UEFA Champions League fixture between Real Madrid and Benfica.

That same match also involved a confrontation between Vinícius and Argentine Benfica defender Gianluca Prestianni.

Mourinho had previously urged his player to exercise restraint.