Real Madrid: José Mourinho rushes to Vinicius’ defense

22.08.26 FT LaLiga Spain

Espanyol

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Real Madrid

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Under fire for his performance and accused of diving, Vinicius received emphatic support from José Mourinho following Real Madrid’s victory.

Real Madrid had to wait until the 90th minute and a decisive goal from Carlos Espí to snatch victory against Espanyol (2-1). While the team as a whole delivered a solid performance, Vinicius Junior endured a far more challenging evening. Silent for the full 90 minutes, without a goal or an assist, the number 7 picked up a yellow card and was handed a harsh 4/10 rating by AS.

José Mourinho denounces a targeted strategy against Vinicius

In response to the criticism, José Mourinho immediately leapt to his player’s defense.

"Vini isn’t a saint, but what’s being done to him is over the top. This keeps happening, opponent after opponent," the Portuguese manager stated.

According to Mourinho, defenders are systematically rotating: one makes a foul and possibly gets booked, then another steps in to keep disrupting the Brazilian. Mourinho argued that Vinicius is facing ongoing harassment from both opponents and the crowd.

Espanyol hits back, Vinicius responds with irony

Espanyol didn’t take long to respond. Manolo González quickly dismissed Mourinho’s accusations:

"If we’re not allowed to touch him, then it’s not football anymore. I didn’t see a single dangerous tackle."

The Catalan coach insisted that there was no special plan to target Vinicius during this LaLiga fixture.

Meanwhile, in the stands, chants of "Vinicius, beach ball" rang out—a provocation referencing his loss of the 2024 Ballon d’Or to Rodri. From day one, Mourinho has stepped into his role as Vinicius’ shield, while reminding his player that the best answer must always come on the pitch.

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Mahdi Zakaria LAZRI |

Editor

Football web writer creating digital sports content with a focus on news, analysis and stories that reflect passion, accuracy and objectivity.

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