Mourinho, all the way with Vinicius

M ourinho has chosen sides. And it is Vinicius 's. The Portuguese coach not only came out publicly in defense of the Brazilian after the match against Espanyol . He also spoke with him in private to convey an unmistakable message: He is and always will be with him . The Brazilian star, recently renewed by Madrid, has barely started working with Mourinho in this new stage, but he already knows that he has the coach on his side as a bulletproof shield.

First I go at him, now you go at him; now I go at him, now you go at him. If I get a yellow, you go at him. I come off, since I have a yellow, someone without a yellow comes on and goes at him

The match in Cornellà does not change that assessment. Vinicius did not have his best night; he was too focused on confrontations with the opponents , he received a yellow card and ended up falling into a dynamic that Mourinho wants to help him control . But a performance below expectations does not alter the coach’s evaluation. Much less after just one match. The Portuguese coach also understands that Vinicius needs to feel supported in a context in which he is once again at the center of everyone’s attention . The boos, whistles and insults he received during the match against Espanyol were constant and the coach did not want to miss the chance to publicly defend his player .

Bulletproof shield.. and a private conversation

“Vini is not a saint, but what they do to him is too much” , Mourinho said. And he went even further by denouncing a situation that, in his view, keeps repeating itself with the Brazilian: “ There is already a pattern, there is something that is repeated among opponents . First I hit him, now you hit him; now I hit him, now you hit him. If I get a yellow card, then you hit him. I go off, because I have a yellow card, and someone without a yellow card comes on and hits him. It is a frustration for him” . The Portuguese also spoke of “bullying” from the stands and from opponents: “We are in a social era of antibullying; with Vini we are still in the bullying of the opponent and the crowd” .

It was not a defense intended to justify everything the Brazilian does. Mourinho knows that Vinicius has to control his emotions and prevent provocations from taking him out of the game . But it is one thing to demand that he improve in that area and quite another to question his importance. Mourinho has no doubts whatsoever about Vinicius. And he wanted the player to know that privately as well.

After the criticism that appeared following the league opener, the coach spoke with him to convey calm and confidence. For Mourinho, Vinicius is a fundamental piece of the team he is building because he needs footballers capable of changing games. Wingers who are not afraid to receive the ball out wide, take defenders on, attack the full-back and force an entire defense to retreat . Vinicius fits that description perfectly. His movement creates space for Mbappé, Bellingham and the rest of the attackers . And his ability to play in open space turns any recovery into a threat.

Mourinho is clear about who he wants

But there is something else that Mourinho especially values: character. The Portuguese coach wants a competitive, aggressive, ambitious Madrid . A team that is not satisfied. And he understands that Vinicius represents a good part of that DNA . His personality, his hunger, his ability to take on responsibility and his obsession with being decisive are part of the characteristics that Mourinho intends to enhance, not extinguish .

That is why the coach does not interpret Vini's first match as a warning sign. On the contrary. He knows that the season has only just begun, that the Brazilian still has room to improve physically and that his performance will grow as his minutes, confidence, and understanding with his teammates increase . The question, for Mourinho, is not whether Vinicius is going to be important. The question is how far he can take him. One of the Portuguese's great missions this season will be precisely that: to maximize his footballers' virtues and get them to reach an even higher level. And with Vini, the challenge is especially appealing.