Mourinho: Vinicius is being bullied, and rivals coordinate to kick him

Portugal's José Mourinho, the head coach of Real Madrid, leapt to the defence of his Brazilian player Vinícius Júnior after the 2-1 win over Espanyol on Saturday evening, in the Royal Club's opening match of the Spanish La Liga campaign.

The remarks followed a match littered with clashes between Vinícius and Espanyol's players, particularly Cala. Both picked up a booking in the 32nd minute.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Mourinho said: "I know there is a risk that you will go back a few months and dig up my previous statements when I was Vini's opponent. Now Vini is my player. He is not a saint, but what they do to him goes beyond the limits from the very first minute."

"Repeated fouling"

He added: "It is a pattern that repeats itself from one opponent to another (I foul him first, then you foul him, and if you get a yellow card you foul him, and if you are substituted another comes on without a card to foul him)."

Mourinho continued: "He (Vinícius) must exercise a very high degree of self-control, and I have told him that if he scores a goal he must be careful about how he celebrates it."

The Portuguese coach went on: "We live in a social era that fights bullying, but with Vini we are still living in the stage of bullying from opponents and fans. We must raise his awareness and prepare him as much as possible, and that is all there is to it."

His backing of Vinícius arrives just months after the pair were embroiled in a controversy of their own, when Mourinho was in charge of Benfica.

Back then, the Portuguese slammed Vinícius for celebrating with a dance in front of the Eagles' fans during the Real Madrid and Benfica clash in the UEFA Champions League. That night also saw the Brazilian tangle with home player, Argentina's Gianluca Prestianni.