José Mourinho has defended Vinícius Júnior, saying the star is “bullied” after he clashed with Espanyol players and the crowd during Real Madrid‘s 2-1 LaLiga win on Saturday.
Jude Bellingham‘s header put Madrid ahead in the ninth minute at the RCDE Stadium, but Álex Calatrava levelled for the hosts before half time.
Visitors Madrid pushed for a winner, but had to wait until the 90th minute, when substitute Carlos Espí pounced with a smart finish inside the six-yard box to give Mourinho’s team all three points.
Vinícius appeared to be fouled by Calatrava in the game’s opening stages — with no punishment for the Espanyol player — and later received a yellow card for a dispute with the same player.
“Vini isn’t a saint, but what people do to him is too much,” Mourinho said in his post-match news conference. “It started in the first minute. It’s something that has a format, one opponent after another after another, ‘I foul him, then you foul him, if I have a yellow card, you do it…’
“It’s a frustration for him. He has to have great emotional control. I said to [Vini] that even if you score a goal, be careful how you celebrate, to stay on the pitch. It’s tough. We’re in a social era of anti-bullying, but with Vini there’s bullying.”
Mourinho also praised Bellingham, who only returned to preseason training last week after starring with England this summer.
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“When we talk about the best players in the world, Madrid have a lot, and these three [Bellingham, Vinicius and Kylian Mbappé] had a big impact at the World Cup,” Mourinho said. “I had doubts whether to start [Bellingham] or bring him on.
“I don’t know if I did the right thing starting him, but physically and mentally he’s very strong. For me this is his position, with his connection with the forwards, he can score goals. He has to play close to the goal. Playing at No. 6 or No. 8, we’re losing his closeness to the goal. I like this Jude.”
Madrid next host Real Sociedad on Wednesday in their first home game of the season at the Bernabéu.
