Real Madrid vs Rayo Vallecano: Mourinho Defends Vinicius and Mbappe

Real Madrid return to the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday with noise swirling around them as much as their opponents. Rayo Vallecano are coming. The whistles are already here.

A stuttering spell has set the scene. A Liga defeat to Real Betis, then a bruising but vital Champions League win over Inter Milan. Three points in Europe, yes, but also something far less welcome: open dissent from the stands aimed at Vinicius and Kylian Mbappe.

Sections of the Bernabeu turned on the club’s two marquee forwards during the Inter clash, their whistles cutting through the night. On Friday, José Mourinho walked into the press room and went straight at the issue – without throwing anyone under the bus.

Mourinho’s proverb and his stars under fire

Mourinho reached for home to make his point.

"In Portugal there is a proverb: you only throw stones at trees that have fruit," he said, quoted by 20Minutos. "You are not going to throw stones at a tree that gives you nothing."

Then he put a name to the metaphor.

"What Vini has done here in recent years, how many Champions Leagues he has won, how many goals he has scored, he is a tree that has a lot of fruit. People throw stones because they want fruit, they want the best from Vinicius."

No ambiguity. No distancing. Mourinho nailed his colours to Vinicius’ mast and left them there.

He did the same with Mbappe.

The Frenchman’s performance against Inter did not light up the scoreboard, but Mourinho wanted people to look at something else entirely: the 90th minute, ten men on the pitch, lungs burning, legs gone.

Mbappe “like an animal” on the left

"I use the same proverb as I did for Vinícius," Mourinho continued.

He then painted the picture from those closing moments against Inter. Madrid were down to ten for the final two minutes, clinging on, and Mbappe was no longer the superstar waiting for a counter. He was a left-winger grinding through defensive work.

"There are things I see and value highly. I watched a team playing in the 90th minute, down to ten men for the final two minutes, and I saw Mbappe playing as a left-winger, defending while a man down, covering for Cucurella, who was already dead on his feet."

"Kylian was exhausted too, yet he spent those two minutes defending the left flank like an animal, urged on by a very demanding coach who wouldn't stop shouting and motivating him."

That last line was not accidental. Mourinho knows exactly how he is perceived. Demanding. Relentless. Sometimes infuriating. He turned that reputation into a shield for his players.

“A real pain” – and proud of it

The Portuguese coach admitted he feels it when his own fans whistle his players. It hurts him. But he drew a clear line: if a player empties the tank, Mourinho will stand in front of him.

He even brought up the words of young defender Dean Huijsen, who had previously described him as demanding.

"I've read comments from Huijsen saying I’m a real pain, that I’m always on his case, and that’s somewhat true," Mourinho said.

Then came the standard he sets.

"The expectation is that you give everything you have; and whoever gives everything isn't obliged to give more."

That is the pact as he sees it. Total effort from the pitch, total protection from the bench.

And when that pact extends to the stands?

"When there is unity between team and stadium, you are almost unbeatable."

On Saturday, with Rayo Vallecano in town and the Bernabeu watching closely, Madrid will discover whether those whistles were a one-off outburst or the start of a deeper fracture between a demanding crowd and the fruit-bearing trees they keep aiming at.