Mourinho Defends Vinicius After Bernabeu Boos: ‘People Throw Stones at Fruitful Trees’

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has defended Vinicius Junior after the Brazilian forward was booed by sections of the Santiago Bernabeu crowd. Mourinho believes the criticism is partly a consequence of the enormous expectations surrounding the star and insists that Vinicius’ best form is still to come.

Real Madrid will face Rayo Vallecano at the Bernabeu on Sunday, with the match scheduled for 1am Bangladesh time. Ahead of the game, Mourinho was asked about the recent boos directed at Vinicius.

The Portuguese coach responded by quoting a popular saying from his homeland.

“In Portugal, there is a saying: people throw stones at the tree that bears fruit.”

Mourinho believes Vinicius has earned such high expectations because of what he has achieved for Real Madrid over the past few years. For that reason, he does not view the recent criticism as evidence that the forward has lost his ability.

“He is a tree full of fruit. People throw stones because they want the fruit. Vinicius’ best is still to come,” Mourinho said.

The Real Madrid coach also believes the Brazilian is gradually returning to his best level. He pointed to Vinicius’ pace, defensive work and ability to recover the ball as signs of improvement.

“The Vinicius we saw last year against Benfica, when the Bernabeu was worried and he delivered the victory—that Vinicius is coming back,” Mourinho added.

Mourinho also believes the numbers support his view, arguing that Vinicius is getting closer to his best level in several statistical areas.

The coach was also asked about Kylian Mbappe’s recent comments regarding Vinicius. Mourinho, however, did not want to turn the discussion into another debate over criticism.

“I’m not going to talk about criticism. The same proverb I mentioned about Vini applies here. Mbappe is right—if a player scores 40 goals, he cannot be a problem for a team,” Mourinho said.

Mourinho also struck a positive tone when discussing Real Madrid’s recent performances. Although the team dropped points against Real Betis, he said he was pleased with the players’ commitment.

“We will do everything we can to make everyone happy. There are people who talk about football but do not understand it. There are also people who understand football, and in my opinion, they would not say these things. Are they not happy when we win? We are united,” Mourinho said.

For Mourinho, therefore, the boos directed at Vinicius should not be viewed as a major crisis. Instead, he believes the pressure and criticism are part of the expectations that come with being one of Real Madrid’s biggest stars.

And, as Mourinho’s Portuguese proverb suggests, people tend to throw stones at the trees that bear the most fruit.