Real Madrid: Mourinho warned Vinicius before the match.

Vinicius endured another difficult evening on Saturday against Espanyol. Targeted by the home crowd, repeatedly challenged by defenders and quickly frustrated, the Brazilian struggled at times to keep his full focus on his football.

José Mourinho was inevitably asked about his player’s behavior after Real Madrid’s 2-1 victory. The Portuguese coach also revealed a conversation he had with Vinicius before the game, knowing that the winger was likely to face a hostile atmosphere once again.

Mourinho warned Vinicius about his celebrations

“He needs to have a lot of mental control. I even told him that if he scored, he had to be careful with the way he celebrated his goal,” Mourinho explained after the final whistle.

The warning was linked to an incident that had taken place a few months earlier in Lisbon, when Vinicius was booked after celebrating in front of the home supporters.

However, the Real Madrid coach believes that his attacker is too often deliberately provoked by opponents.

“It is premeditated from the opposition,” Mourinho said. “They hit him from the very first action. And when one player gets booked, another one takes over. He is not a saint, but what he has to deal with is too much.”

Against Espanyol, Vinicius was fouled eight times. One of the most controversial incidents came as early as the third minute, when Cala kicked the Brazilian in the back while he was already on the ground and had no possibility of playing the ball. The referee decided not to show a yellow card.

Mourinho then used particularly strong language to describe what he believes Vinicius is experiencing on Spanish pitches.

“I know you are going to bring back the comments I made when Vini was my opponent. Now he is my player,” Mourinho said. “And he is being bullied by opposition teams and supporters.”

For Mourinho, the issue goes beyond ordinary physical challenges. He believes opponents are trying to provoke Vinicius emotionally in the hope that the Brazilian will lose his concentration, react badly or pick up a card.

🚨 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧: Vinicius in his first La Liga game of the new season:

• 0 goals
• 0 assists
• 0 key passes
• 0 shots on target
• 14x possession lost
• 1 yellow card pic.twitter.com/5MpyNLxewT

— The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) August 22, 2026

Manolo González strongly disagrees

Mourinho’s comments were immediately challenged by Espanyol manager Manolo González, who rejected the suggestion that his players had specifically targeted Vinicius.

“If you can’t touch him, then what is football supposed to be?” González responded. “I didn’t see any excessive challenge. The fouls he suffered were normal and nobody went out there specifically looking for him.”

According to the Espanyol coach, the physical treatment Vinicius received was simply part of a competitive La Liga match.

“They were normal incidents during the game, just as they happened with other players,” he added.

The contrasting statements from Mourinho and González are likely to add another chapter to the long-running debate surrounding Vinicius in Spanish football. The Brazilian remains one of Real Madrid’s biggest attacking threats, but the tension between his explosive style, his emotional reactions and the treatment he receives from opponents and supporters continues to generate controversy.

For Mourinho, the priority now appears clear: protect Vinicius while helping him control his reactions. The Portuguese coach knows that opponents may continue trying to unsettle the Brazilian, meaning mental discipline could become just as important as his talent on the ball throughout the season.