Mourinho Backs Vinicius Amid Tensions
Jose Mourinho walked out of Cornellà-El Prat with three points and a message. The win mattered. What he said about Vinicius Junior might matter more over the course of this season.
"He has to show a lot of emotional restraint," Mourinho revealed after Real Madrid’s late 2-1 victory at Espanyol on Saturday night. "I spoke to him and told him: ‘If you score a goal, then pay attention to how you celebrate it.’"
It was not a casual remark. Every time Vinicius touched the ball, the tension in the stands crackled. Whistles, jeers, hostility – the now-familiar soundtrack to his away days with Real.
From critic to defender
The twist is who is saying it. Mourinho is not approaching this as a neutral observer. His history with Vinicius is complicated and, at times, ugly.
Back in February, during the racism scandal that overshadowed Real’s Champions League tie against Benfica, Mourinho – then Benfica coach – had partly placed responsibility on Vinicius for the abuse he received, pointing to the Brazilian’s celebrations and behaviour.
"Something is not right, because it happens in every stadium. In a stadium where Vinicius plays, something always happens," Mourinho said then on Amazon Prime Video, highlighting Vini’s provocative celebration in front of the Benfica fans after his decisive 1-0 goal.
Those comments lingered. They framed him as a critic, not an ally.
Now the roles have flipped.
"Vini is no saint, but…"
"Now Vini is my player. Vini is no saint, but what they do to him is too much," Mourinho insisted after scraping past Espanyol on the opening weekend of the league season. The tone had changed completely.
"It starts in the very first minute. I think there is a certain pattern behind it, something that repeats itself from one opponent to the next."
This was not just a coach asking for calm from his forward. It sounded like an accusation directed at the league’s atmosphere around Vinicius – a pattern of targeting, a culture that has normalised singling him out.
Having replaced Alvaro Arbeloa in the Madrid dugout this summer, Mourinho pushed the point further.
"We are in a social era of anti-bullying. With Vini, we are still in the bullying phase, whether from the opposition or from the crowd. We have to educate him as well as possible and prepare him for it as well as possible."
The message was twofold: Vinicius must control his reactions, but the game must also look at itself.
Quiet night for the star, late drama for Real
On the pitch, this was not a showcase for Vinicius. Far from it. The Brazil international struggled to stamp his authority, rarely finding the spaces or the rhythm that usually turn matches in his favour.
Real still found a way.
Jude Bellingham, already a central figure in white, opened the scoring early, giving Mourinho the ideal start to his second spell at the Bernabeu. Espanyol refused to fold. After half an hour, Cala levelled, punishing Real’s slackness and turning the evening into a scrap.
For long stretches, the game drifted. Real probed without conviction, Espanyol sensed an opportunity, and Vinicius stayed largely on the fringes.
Then came the 90th minute.
New signing Carlos Espi, brought on from the bench, delivered the decisive blow, striking the 2-1 winner and rescuing what could have quickly become an awkward opening chapter for Mourinho’s return.
It was narrow. It was nervy. It was exactly the kind of win that buys a coach time and belief in August.
Long contract, long road
After two disappointing seasons, Mourinho has been brought back to restore Real Madrid’s edge and aura. The expectation is blunt: titles, big nights, and a team that looks like Real again.
He will need Vinicius for that.
The forward has already shut down the noise around his future, reaffirming his commitment to the club despite persistent rumours of a move and talk of a record offer from Arsenal. At the start of August, he signed a new long-term deal running until 2032 – a contract that anchors him as one of the pillars of Real’s next era.
Now comes the hard part: living that role in stadiums that seem determined to unsettle him, under a coach who once questioned his behaviour and now publicly shields him while demanding discipline.
If Mourinho can truly turn from critic to protector, and if Vinicius can channel the hostility into performances rather than confrontations, Real’s season – and perhaps the conversation around one of football’s most polarising talents – could look very different by the time that contract starts to bite.
