Mourinho Defends Mbappe and Vinicius Amid Bernabeu Discontent
At the Bernabeu, where legends are built and dismantled in the space of a fortnight, even the stars are not spared. This week it was Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr who felt the chill of home discontent, jeered by their own supporters despite carrying Real Madrid’s attack.
Jose Mourinho was having none of it.
The Real Madrid coach stepped in front of his two forwards and, in typical Mourinho fashion, did so with a sharp metaphor and a pointed message.
“In Portuguese, we have a proverb that says we only throw stones at the trees that have fruit,” he said, asked specifically about Vinicius. The meaning was clear. You don’t waste your anger on the ordinary. You target the players who matter most.
Mbappe had just moved joint-fifth on the all-time Champions League scoring list, his opener setting up a 2-1 win over Inter Milan on Tuesday. Forty-two goals in 44 games for his club last season. A Ballon d’Or nominee. Numbers that usually buy adoration, not whistles.
Vinicius, too, has long been one of Real’s defining figures on the European stage. Mourinho didn’t bother dressing it up.
“So what Vini has done here over recent years – how many CL has he won, how many goals has he scored, how many balls has he won? His achievements speak for themselves,” he said. “He is the tree that has a lot of fruit on it and people want to get a piece of Vini.”
That was the line: the more they produce, the more people try to take.
The criticism aimed at both players has focused on their defensive work. The accusation: they don’t run enough without the ball. Mourinho pushed back hard, arguing that the data paints a very different picture.
“During this digital era where we have access to so many stats, we can tell that he is very close to getting to his best version,” he said of Vinicius. “He’s even set some records already. The stats and numbers he registers suggest we will see his best version very soon.”
He then turned the same proverb onto Mbappe, making sure the message landed with equal force.
“I want to remind you of the proverb I said before. He is the tree with a lot of fruit,” Mourinho said. “Obviously a player who scores more than 40 goals for a team is never a problem.
“I saw Kylian giving it his all. He was defending like an animal, even when he had nothing left. His attitude is incredible. It is a joy for me to see a player like that.”
So why the boos?
Inside the Bernabeu, frustration has been brewing. Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, speaking on 5Live’s Euro Leagues podcast, pointed to a wider context: the absence of trophies last season.
“There was a bit about the past, of two years of no winning,” he said. “But the two main stars are not that liked by the fans.”
Mbappe, in particular, carries baggage in the eyes of some Madridistas. His aura, his status, his words.
“Mbappe feels a little bit cold, sometimes he can be like Cristiano Ronaldo and he speaks like he is bigger than Real Madrid,” Balague explained. “And also, he said no to Real Madrid about three times before and maybe they haven’t forgotten that – but without Mbappe’s goals, the club would be in a very different place.”
Vinicius, by contrast, has thrown himself into the club’s cause, on and off the ball. He renewed his contract. He worked, Balague noted, relentlessly without possession against Inter. Still, the scrutiny doesn’t ease.
“And Vinicius worked really hard without the ball, but they just don’t forgive him anything even though he did renew his contract. It’s a bit of a mystery but I think he is feeling the heat of it.”
This is the paradox at Real Madrid. Two forwards who decide games, chased by criticism from the stands they are supposed to electrify. A fanbase that demands trophies as a minimum, and turns quickly when the silverware dries up.
Mourinho’s defence was not just about protecting his players. It was a reminder of where Real Madrid are right now: utterly dependent on the fruit of the very trees some supporters are so eager to stone.
