Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has called on Vinicius Jr to demonstrate greater emotional control, insisting that opponents deliberately provoke the Brazilian winger from the opening whistle in an attempt to draw a reaction.

Mourinho's remarks follow an opening La Liga victory — a 2-1 win over Espanyol — in which Vinicius Jr collected an unnecessary yellow card during the first half after an argument with midfielder Cala. It was Mourinho's first competitive fixture of his second spell in charge at Real Madrid.

A pattern of provocation

The 63-year-old Portuguese coach was candid about the situation his forward faces, acknowledging that the targeting of Vinicius Jr is systematic across opponents. "It's frustrating for him. He needs to have great emotional control," Mourinho said.

Mourinho also addressed his own history with the player. "I run the risk of you going back months and pulling out my words when I was an opponent of Vini Jr," he said. "Now Vini Jr is mine. Vini Jr is not a saint, but what they do to him is too much."

The issue of abuse directed at Vinicius Jr is longstanding. During his eight years at Real Madrid, the Brazilian has been the subject of repeated hostility — including an incident on the night Mourinho himself was in the Benfica dugout, when Gianluca Prestianni was accused of racially abusing the winger, a claim the Argentine denied.

Half-time instructions

Mourinho revealed he pulled Vinicius Jr aside during the interval to discuss not only how he responds to provocation, but also how his goal celebrations could affect his ability to stay on the pitch. "I spoke to him at half-time, and I even told him in detail: 'If you score a goal, be careful how you celebrate it so I can keep you on the field,'" the manager said. "It's tough."

Drawing a broader comparison, Mourinho contrasted the general social momentum against bullying with what he sees as an exception made for Vinicius Jr. "We're in a social era of anti-bullying. With Vini Jr, we're still in the bullying era, whether it's from opponents or the crowd," he said. "We need to educate him as much as possible and prepare him as much as possible. And that's it."