Mourinho Vinicius Jr. bullying: Mourinho Says Vinicius Jr. Is Being Bullied After Real Madrid Win
MADRID — Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho accused opponents and supporters of bullying Vinicius Jr. after the Brazil winger was repeatedly targeted during the club’s 2-1 LaLiga victory over Espanyol on Sunday.
Real Madrid, in Mourinho’s first league match back in charge, secured a late win after a physical contest that saw Vinicius involved in an early incident with Espanyol defender Alex Calatrava.
Within the opening five minutes, Calatrava brought Vinicius down from behind and appeared to make contact with him again while the forward was on the ground. Real Madrid players called for a red card, but the referee took no action.
Calatrava later scored Espanyol’s equalizer after Jude Bellingham had given Real Madrid the lead. Substitute Carlo Espi then scored in the 90th minute to seal the victory for the visitors.
Mourinho said the treatment Vinicius receives from opponents has become a recurring issue.
“Vinicius is no saint, but what they’re doing to him was too much. Right from the first minute. It’s a pattern that repeats itself from one opponent to the next,” Mourinho said.
The Portuguese manager claimed opposing players deliberately target Vinicius throughout matches, with fresh players continuing the physical treatment when others have been booked or substituted.
Mourinho also urged Vinicius to remain composed when facing provocation and warned him to be careful with his celebrations.
“He needs to have a lot of emotional control. I’ve told him that if he scores a goal, he needs to be careful how he celebrates it,” Mourinho said.
Mourinho said the treatment of Vinicius was particularly concerning because of the broader campaign against bullying in society.
“We’re in an era where society is against bullying, yet with Vini we’re still seeing bullying — from opponents and from the crowd,” he said. “We have to educate him and prepare him as best we can, and that’s it.”
The comments also revived memories of an incident involving Vinicius last season, when he was subjected to discriminatory abuse from Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni during a Champions League match against Real Madrid.
Prestianni was subsequently suspended for six matches by UEFA for discriminatory conduct that was deemed homophobic.
Mourinho faced criticism at the time for defending Prestianni. He argued that Vinicius’ goal celebrations had contributed to the reaction from the crowd and said Benfica could not be considered racist, pointing to the club’s history and its legendary Black player Eusebio.
His latest comments mark a different tone as Mourinho publicly defended Vinicius following Real Madrid’s opening league victory.
