Mourinho: Vinicius is being bullied, and rivals coordinate to hit him | Goal.com
José Mourinho leapt to the defence of Vinícius Júnior after Real Madrid's 2-1 win over Espanyol on Saturday evening, the opening fixture of the royal club's La Liga campaign.
The Portuguese spoke out after a match littered with clashes between Vinícius and the home side's players. His running battle with Cala earned both men a caution in the 32nd minute.
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"I know there's a risk that you'll go back a few months and dig out my previous comments from when I was Vini's opponent," Mourinho said in the post-match press conference. "Now Vini is my player. He is no saint, but what they do to him goes beyond the limits from the very first minute."
He added: "It's a pattern that repeats itself from one opponent to another (I kick him first, then you kick him, and if you get a yellow card you kick him, and if you're substituted another comes on without a card to kick him)."
"He (Vinícius) has to exercise a very high degree of self-control, and I've told him that if he scores a goal he must be careful about how he celebrates it," Mourinho continued.
The Portuguese went on: "We live in a social age that fights bullying, but with Vini we are still living in the phase of bullying from opponents and fans. We have to make him aware and prepare him as much as possible, and that's all there is to it."
His backing of Vinícius arrives just months after the pair were caught in a controversy of their own, back when Mourinho ran Benfica.
Mourinho had rounded on Vinícius for celebrating with a dance in front of the Benfica fans during a Champions League tie between Real and Benfica, a match that also saw the Brazilian tangle with home player Gianluca Prestianni of Argentina.
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