RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Protect him publicly, calm him privately – Real Madrid and Mourinho have a plan in place to protect superstar forward
Real Madrid have decided how they want to deal with the growing attention around Vinicius Jr., and the plan has two clear sides.
Publicly, the club and Jose Mourinho are prepared to defend the Brazilian whenever they believe he is being unfairly targeted by opponents, supporters or match officials.
Privately, though, Vinicius is being asked to take control of his own reactions and avoid giving anyone the opportunity to drag him away from his football.
According to Mundo Deportivo , the approach is already in place.
The club does not want to change Vinicius as a player or ask him to ignore everything happening around him.
Instead, Real Madrid want their star forward to focus on the game and stop outside incidents from becoming part of his performance.
Real Madrid prepared to stand behind Vinicius
Real Madrid will do everything to protect Vinicius. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
The match against Espanyol offered a clear example of how strongly Real Madrid are willing to support Vinicius.
Mourinho did not hold back when discussing the treatment received by the Brazilian, arguing that Vinicius faces what he described as harassment and bullying from both rival fans and players.
Real Madrid also backed their manager’s position through the club’s official media channels.
Real Madrid TV released videos focusing on the challenges and treatment Vinicius received during the match, while also questioning the decisions made by the referee.
The club’s channel even compared the protection Vinicius received with the treatment of Barcelona star Lamine Yamal, arguing that similar incidents involving the two players were judged differently.
Mourinho’s private message to Vinicius
Away from the cameras and public statements, however, the message to Vinicius is more straightforward.
Mourinho has held talks with Vinicius. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Both Mourinho and Real Madrid want him to control himself during difficult moments and avoid being drawn into confrontations with rival players or supporters.
In fact, Mourinho has already explained the plan to the player directly.
Simply put, Real Madrid do not want Vinicius spending energy on arguments, reactions or incidents that take his attention away from the match.
Rather, the instruction is to remain focused on his football.
Importantly, that does not mean the club expect Vinicius to accept unfair treatment in silence.
Rather, he is being encouraged to allow the club and his teammates to deal with the noise while he concentrates on making an impact on the pitch.
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