Mourinho warns Vinicius Jr: opponents want to provoke you from the first minute
Jose Mourinho used his first competitive match back as Real Madrid coach to deliver a blunt message: Vinicius Jr is being targeted by opponents from the opening whistle, and the Brazilian needs to learn to live with it.
Real Madrid beat Espanyol in Mourinho's return to the dugout for a second spell in charge, but the post-match talk centred on his star winger. According to Mourinho, every team Real face tries to provoke a reaction from Vinicius — not occasionally, but "from the first minute" of every match (BBC Sport).
The flashpoint came when Vinicius picked up a yellow card. A booking for dissent or a foul means a player is one more offence away from being sent off, and Mourinho told the 26-year-old at half-time to think about how his actions ripple beyond the pitch. "If you score a goal, be careful how you celebrate it so I can keep you on the field," Mourinho said he told him (BBC Sport). The message was simple: a provocative celebration could bring a second yellow, and with it a red card that leaves the team a man down.
Mourinho framed the problem in stark terms. He said society at large has moved into an era of anti-bullying, yet with Vinicius "we are still in the bullying era" — whether the pressure comes from opponents or from the stands. His solution is preparation: Vinicius needs to be "educated" and "prepared as much as possible" to handle the provocation, Mourinho said (BBC Sport).
The comments carry weight because Vinicius has been repeatedly subjected to racist abuse in Spanish football, and Benfica fans were also seen directing racist gestures at him during a Champions League fixture (Goal). Mourinho questioned why a player who is Black and has faced such sustained targeting draws that kind of attention so frequently (ESPN).
Not everyone has welcomed Mourinho's framing. Vincent Kompany called the coach's comments a "huge mistake," and former goalkeeper Shaka Hislop expressed disappointment at how Mourinho responded to the alleged abuse (ESPN; ESPN). Those criticisms, made in February, predate Mourinho's return to the Real Madrid touchline but speak to a debate that has followed his handling of the issue.
Mourinho did deny playing any role in convincing Vinicius to renew his contract with Real Madrid, pushing back on suggestions that his appointment was tied to the winger's future at the club (Goal). The renewal, he made clear, was not his doing.
For Real Madrid fans, the early-season picture is one of a new — or rather returning — manager trying to protect his most electrifying player from a problem that shows no sign of fading. Vinicius remains the danger man every opponent wants to stop. Mourinho's task is making sure the provocation never does his job for them.
