José Mourinho expressed his disapproval of Vinícius Júnior‘s goal celebration following the forward’s strike during Real Madrid‘s 1-0 Champions League victory over Benfica. This incident unfolded prior to a heated exchange in which the player claimed he was a victim of racial abuse.
Vinícius opened the scoring in the 50th minute at the Estadio da Luz and celebrated by dancing near the corner flag. This prompted a confrontation with several Benfica players, including Gianluca Prestianni, whom Vinícius later accused of making racial remarks.
Mourinho, who received a red card in the 85th minute and will serve a suspension for the second leg at the Bernabéu, engaged with both players during a 10-minute stoppage after the referee activated UEFA’s anti-racism protocol before resuming play.
“Vinícius claims one thing, and Prestianni claims another,” Mourinho remarked to Movistar. “While I can’t say I fully endorse Prestianni’s version, I also can’t confirm that Vinícius’s account is entirely accurate. I simply don’t know.
“What I do know is that until the goal, it was an excellent match. Benfica started strong, while Real Madrid was exceptionally dominant… Then Vinícius scored a goal that only he or [Kylian] Mbappé could achieve. After that, he should have been lifted on his teammates’ shoulders, instead of taunting 60,000 fans in the stadium. That’s all I’m saying.”
Mourinho seemed to reference the multiple instances of racial abuse directed at Vinícius in recent years, which have led to legal actions and convictions in Spanish courts.
“In how many stadiums has this occurred? How many?” Mourinho queried. “Vinícius is an extraordinary talent, one I admire greatly. But when you score a goal like that… you should be celebrated by your teammates, not engaging with the opposition fans. That’s where the game should end.”
“Something isn’t right,” Mourinho noted in his post-match press conference. “Vinícius scored an amazing goal. Why didn’t he celebrate like Eusebio, Pelé, or Di Stéfano?”
Regarding his dismissal, the Benfica, and former Madrid coach stated, “I was sent off for stating something very obvious. The referee had a note indicating that ‘[Aurélien] Tchouaméni, [Álvaro] Carreras, and [Dean] Huijsen can’t receive a yellow card.’ He didn’t want to book Carreras or Tchouaméni. I pointed it out because, after coaching for 1,400 games, he should know precisely who can be booked and who cannot. We all understand how these situations unfold.”