Mourinho responds to the Vinicius controversy with a popular proverb, and reminds Real Madrid fans of his historic record
The Portuguese coach admits: I feel sad when I hear the boos
José Mourinho continued to defend his Brazilian star Vinícius Júnior, rejecting the boos the player endured during Real Madrid's win over Inter Milan in the Champions League last Tuesday.
Real Madrid host Rayo Vallecano tomorrow, Saturday evening, in the fifth round of the Spanish league. The Royal club are looking to get back on track after suffering their first defeat of the season at the hands of Real Betis last Friday.
"Stones and the fruit-bearing tree"
Mourinho waded into the ongoing debate around Vinícius, the support he sometimes receives and the criticism he faces at other times, reaching for a Portuguese proverb to defend him.
He said, as reported by the newspaper "AS": "In Portugal there is a proverb, I don't know if it exists in Spain in the same form, 'You only throw stones at trees that bear fruit'. What has Vini done here over the past years? How many Champions Leagues has he won? How many goals has he scored? He is a tree that bears a lot of fruit. And people throw stones because they want the fruit."
He added: "The best version of Vinícius will arrive. Last year's version, when the Bernabéu was frightened against Benfica and he ended up settling the tie. That version of Vinícius will arrive."
Mourinho continued: "In the age of data and statistics, he is very close to his top speed. He has broken his records in high-intensity running, his record in ball recoveries, and in ball recoveries in the final third... it will arrive."
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He refused to pass judgement on the reaction of Real Madrid's fans towards Vinícius, but admitted that hearing the boos against the Brazilian leaves him sad.
He said: "I don't even want to give my opinion, it's not about criticism or giving an opinion. I am nobody to give my opinion. I feel sad, because I am very demanding with my team's players."
The Portuguese coach went on: "I read some comments from (Dean) Huijsen, in which he said I am an annoying person, and that I am always on the players' backs. And that's true, I ask for a lot. To be very demanding means to give everything you have."
He added: "I respect the player who gives everything. Vinícius wanted to play, he wanted to help, he played as a team, and he played with respect for his shirt. This type of player always makes me stand by his side. This does not mean he will always play, but it means he will always find me by his side. This saddens me, but I don't want to assess or criticise."
Drawing on his career, Mourinho noted: "From my experience, not only at Real Madrid, when there is unity between the team and the stadium, you are... I don't want to say invincible, but you are very close to it."
He tried to remind the Madrid faithful of the record he holds for going unbeaten at home, stressing how much the support of his fans has meant throughout his career.
He said: "I still hold a Guinness record for the number of matches I played at home without defeat in the best leagues, 6 or 7 years without a loss... I don't know. But when you work as a team with the stadium, you become invincible, and yet every stadium, at a certain moment, has the right to react."
The team's condition
On the state of his players before facing Rayo Vallecano, Mourinho said: "Happy, united, and working well. Obviously, working well means recovering well. Today we did tactical work and there wasn't much intensity. But with respect for the opponent. They achieved a win and showed their quality. We must be fully focused tomorrow."
He added: "I take this question to thank the coach Íñigo Pérez for his words, they were 'very kind', and I didn't deserve all of that. I will hug him tomorrow."
