José Mourinho pulled no punches when discussing the perceived treatment of Vinícius Júnior by Espanyol players and fans during Real Madrid’s season opener on Saturday.“Orchestrated bullying” was how the manager described it.Los Blancos eventually won the match 2–1 thanks to a late goal from summer signing Carlos Espí. Jude Bellingham had given the capital team the lead in the ninth minute, but Espanyol pulled level in the first half with a goal from Álex Calatrava.Vinícius Jr. had limited impact. He played the full match but recorded only 0.04 expected goals (xG) and 0.03 expected assists (xA). The winger completed three dribbles, the most of anyone on the pitch, and won an impressive 75% of his 16 ground duels, but created no chances overall and was fouled eight times, accounting for 42% of all Espanyol’s fouls.Nobody else in a Real Madrid shirt was fouled more than twice.Vinicius Jr ‘Targeted’ by Espanyol Defenders, FansJosé Mourinho called it bullying. | David Ramos/Getty Images“He is not a saint, but what they are doing to him is way too much,” Mourinho told reporters.“We are in an era where we fight against bullying, but with Viní it’s straightforward bullying—from the crowd, from the opponents. This is all orchestrated, from the start of the match it’s like that ... from one opponent to the other.”Mourinho admitted that he felt the need to warn Vinícius Jr. about not rising to the provocation, which he said was a problem because it “shouldn’t” have to be that way.“This guy, Viní, he needs to have huge emotional control, it is tough,” the Portuguese boss said. “I talked to him, I said if you score please watch how you celebrate, because I want you to stay on the pitch. The need to say that to him, that is what is wrong. It shouldn’t happen, that’s why I say—this is bullying.”Mourinho telling his player to watch “how you celebrate” brings back memories of the unsavory Benfica incident in February, when Vinícius Jr. made allegations of racist abuse against Gianluca Prestianni.The Benfica player later admitted to using a homophobic slur, while Mourinho at that time—then Benfica’s manager—implied Vinícius Jr. incited the reaction because of a “stupid” goal celebration. Later that month, Benfica suspended five fans for “inappropriate behavior of a racist nature.”There is something of an irony about Mourinho coming to bat so fiercely for Vinícius Jr. now when he was so keen to discredit him back then, although it also points to a career-long siege mentality in which his team is the center of the universe and everyone else is the enemy.Espanyol Hit Back at Vinicius Jr TreatmentThe Espanyol boss saw no issue. | Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto/Getty ImagesUnsurprisingly, Espanyol manager Manolo González didn’t accept Mourinho’s version of events.“Damn it, we can’t touch him,” the 47-year-old replied when the “bullying” comments about Vinícius Jr.’s treatment were put to him by reporters after Mourinho had spoken.“I haven’t seen any exaggerated tackles,” Manolo added. “Nowadays, there are no actions that imply serious consequences for the player. The fouls he has received are normal and nobody went looking for him. They are part of the game, as has happened with other players.”Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow