"He's no saint, but...": José Mourinho's outburst in defense of Vinicius

José Mourinho did not appreciate the treatment of Vinicius Junior during Real Madrid's victory against Espanyol Barcelona (2-1) on Saturday in La Liga.

Just four minutes after kickoff, the Brazilian winger was the victim of a foul by Alex Calatrava, who kicked him in the back. This latest incident provoked the anger of the Real Madrid coach, determined to protect his player.

In a press conference, Mourinho acknowledged that Vinicius was not blameless, while also believing that opponents were giving him excessive treatment.

"I might take you back several months, to the time when I was Vini's opponent. But today, Vini is one of my own. He's no saint, but what they're putting him through is too much," the Portuguese coach declared.

The Real Madrid coach believes that his player is regularly targeted from the opening minutes of matches. "From the very first minute, it's as if there's already a well-defined pattern: I foul, you foul, one player receives a yellow card, another comes on without having received one…," he lamented.

For Mourinho, this situation represents a real mental test for Vinicius, who must constantly remain calm despite the provocations and repeated fouls. The Portuguese manager even revealed that he spoke with his striker before the match to ask him to control his reactions.

"It's a great frustration for him. He needs to show great self-control. I even told him that if he scored, he had to be careful about how he celebrated," Mourinho explained.

The Madrid coach ultimately went so far as to compare the treatment of Vinicius to a form of harassment. "We live in a society that fights against harassment, but with Vini, we are still in the era of harassment," he concluded.