José Mourinho has made it clear that Vinícius Júnior can expect his full support at Real Madrid, only months after the pair found themselves on opposite sides of one of the Champions League season’s most controversial incidents.
Speaking after returning to the Bernabéu, Mourinho addressed the treatment Vinicius receives from referees and opposition supporters. The Portuguese coach believes the Brazilian should be judged by the same standards as every other player, regardless of his reputation or the reaction he can provoke inside stadiums.
For Mourinho, a foul does not become less of a foul simply because Vinicius is involved.
Why Mourinho believes Vinicius is treated differently
Vinicius has become one of the most targeted players in European football. He is regularly booed away from home, while his confrontations with opponents and supporters often become major talking points.
Mourinho questioned why entire stadiums sometimes turn against a player they have no direct history with.
The issue was visible again during Real Madrid’s recent friendly against Schalke, when Vinicius was repeatedly booed by sections of the home crowd. Rather than react angrily, he smiled and even blew a kiss towards the stands.
Mourinho did acknowledge that Vinicius can control some of his own reactions better. But he also stressed that referees cannot allow a player’s personality to influence how incidents are judged.
A complicated history between Mourinho and Vinicius
The manager’s comments are particularly interesting because of what happened in February.
Mourinho was then in charge of Benfica when Vinicius accused Gianluca Prestianni of discriminatory abuse during a Champions League meeting with Real Madrid. The game was stopped for several minutes and UEFA later opened disciplinary proceedings.
At the time, Mourinho defended Prestianni because he was his player.
Now the situation has completely changed.
Mourinho is back at Real Madrid, Vinicius is part of his squad, and the Portuguese coach says the Brazilian now knows where his manager stands.
According to Mourinho, Vinicius can expect him to fight his corner when he believes the winger has been treated unfairly.
That could matter more than it first appears.
Mourinho has built some of his most successful teams around a powerful us-against-the-world mentality. Players such as Didier Drogba, Wesley Sneijder and Cristiano Ronaldo knew their manager would publicly defend them when pressure increased.
Vinicius may now be developing a similar relationship.
Mourinho wants Vinicius at the centre of his Real Madrid project
Their relationship had already strengthened during the summer.
Vinicius attracted serious interest before signing a new long-term contract with Real Madrid. Mourinho confirmed that he spoke with the Brazilian during that period, although he rejected the idea that his arrival alone convinced Vinicius to stay.
His message was simple. Real Madrid wanted Vinicius, and the club remained the right place for him.
Now Mourinho appears determined to create an environment in which the Brazilian can focus on football rather than constantly fighting battles away from it.
There will still be hostile crowds. There will still be controversial decisions. And Vinicius will almost certainly remain one of football’s most discussed players.
But one thing has changed.
Only six months ago, Mourinho was standing on the opposite side of a major controversy involving Vinicius.
Now he is standing beside him.
And Vinicius knows his manager intends to fight for him.
