Jose Mourinho disclosed his direct words to Vinicius Junior after the Brazilian faced alleged racial abuse during Benfica’s 1-0 Champions League play-off loss to Real Madrid. Vinicius netted the decisive goal in the 50th minute with a stunning curling shot from outside the box. As he celebrated with a dance near the corner flag, home fans at Estadio da Luz hurled objects at him, prompting a yellow card for taunting the crowd.
Tensions escalated when Argentine player Gianluca Prestianni made a remark, leading to a 10-minute match delay as Vinicius reported racial abuse. While heading to the bench, Mourinho spoke briefly with the Real Madrid star. Later, after receiving a red card for protesting his yellow from the technical area, the 63-year-old manager detailed the exchange.
Mourinho Criticizes ‘Disrespectful’ Celebration
In his post-match press conference, Mourinho addressed Vinicius’s actions: “Unfortunately, he was not just happy to score that stunning goal. When you score a goal like that, you celebrate in a respectful way.”
Pressed on whether the celebration sparked the backlash, he responded: “Yeah, I believe so. I want to be independent, I don’t want to say I believe Prestianni and don’t believe Vini because they said two completely different things. I want to be independent, and I don’t comment about it.”
Regarding their sideline talk, Mourinho reiterated: “I told him exactly that. I told him, ‘When you score a goal like that, you just celebrate and walk back.’ When he was arguing about racism, I told him, ‘The biggest person in the history of this club [Benfica] was black. This club, the last thing it is, is racist. If in his mind it was something in relation to that, this is Benfica.'”
Suspension Looms for Return Leg
The drama contrasted sharply with Benfica’s prior league-phase clash, where goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin’s 98th-minute strike secured a 4-2 win and play-off qualification. Now facing elimination, Mourinho’s team heads to the Bernabeu without him after his late red card. He grew animated during a late free-kick chance, earning a yellow before erupting in protest, resulting in his dismissal.
