Mourinho Defends Vinicius and Mbappe Ahead of Rayo Vallecano Clash

Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has moved to shield Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe ahead of their return to Santiago Bernabeu duty on Saturday, turning a tense week into a rallying cry before Rayo Vallecano visit in La Liga.

Madrid step back into league action on the back of a stuttering spell: a damaging domestic defeat to Real Betis, then a draining but vital Champions League win over Inter Milan. The victory steadied the European campaign. It did not calm the Bernabeu.

Vinicius and Mbappe both felt the sting of the stands in midweek, whistled by sections of their own supporters despite the result. Mourinho did not pretend it hadn’t happened. He walked straight into the issue in his Friday press conference – and planted himself firmly between his stars and the noise.

Mourinho’s proverb and his message to the Bernabeu

To explain why the criticism has fallen on his two biggest names, Mourinho reached for home.

"In Portugal there is a proverb: you only throw stones at trees that have fruit," he said, quoted by 20Minutos. "You are not going to throw stones at a tree that gives you nothing."

Then came the defence of Vinicius, pointed and deliberate.

"What Vini has done here in recent years, how many Champions Leagues he has won, how many goals he has scored, he is a tree that has a lot of fruit. People throw stones because they want fruit, they want the best from Vinicius."

The message was clear: you whistle the players who carry the weight of expectation because they have already delivered. Mourinho wants that energy turned into backing, not frustration.

Mbappe “defending like an animal”

He did not stop with Vinicius. Mbappe, too, became an example of what he demands.

The coach highlighted the closing stages against Inter, when Madrid were down to ten men and clinging on.

He praised Mbappe for defending "like an animal" on the left flank, tracking back in the 90th minute to help Marc Cucurella, who, as Mourinho put it, was "already dead on his feet."

"I use the same proverb as I did for Vinícius," Mourinho continued. "There are things I see and value highly. I watched a team playing in the 90th minute, down to ten men for the final two minutes, and I saw Mbappe playing as a left-winger, defending while a man down, covering for Cucurella, who was already dead on his feet."

"Kylian was exhausted too, yet he spent those two minutes defending the left flank like an animal, urged on by a very demanding coach who wouldn't stop shouting and motivating him."

For Mourinho, that sequence matters as much as any goal. It is the standard he wants his dressing room – and the stadium – to recognise.

Demanding, relentless, but loyal

Mourinho did not hide his disappointment at hearing whistles aimed at his own players. He admitted it makes him sad. But he drew a firm line: he will always protect those who empty the tank for him.

The Portuguese coach even brought up comments from young defender Dean Huijsen, who had described him as demanding and constantly on his back.

"I’ve read comments from Huijsen saying I’m a real pain, that I’m always on his case, and that’s somewhat true," Mourinho said. "The expectation is that you give everything you have; and whoever gives everything isn't obliged to give more."

That is the pact as he sees it. Give him everything, and he will stand in front of you when the whistles start.

His final point was not about tactics or selection. It was about atmosphere, and what the Bernabeu can still be when it roars instead of grumbles.

"When there is unity between team and stadium," he said, "you are almost unbeatable."

On Saturday, against Rayo, Madrid will find out how ready their own crowd is to believe him.