Jose Mourinho criticizes Vinicius: 'Why not celebrate like Pele?'

Coach José Mourinho has voiced criticism of Vinícius Jr's way of celebrating his goal against Benfica, during a game interrupted by claims of racial discrimination.

José Mourinho openly condemned Vinícius Jr's celebration following the only goal that helped Real Madrid secure a 1-0 victory over Benfica in the first leg of the knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League, in a match halted due to accusations of racial abuse.

At the 50th minute at Estádio da Luz, Vinícius scored to put Real Madrid ahead and celebrated with a dance near the corner flag, right in front of the home fans' stand. This action quickly escalated tensions as he exchanged words with several Benfica players, including Gianluca Prestianni. The Brazilian forward later claimed he was subjected to racial insults.

The referee immediately initiated UEFA's anti-racism protocol, causing the game to pause for nearly 10 minutes. Mourinho, then managing Benfica, directly spoke with both Vinícius and Prestianni on the pitch. By the 85th minute, the Portuguese coach was sent off and will miss the second leg at Santiago Bernabéu.

Speaking to Movistar, Mourinho said: “Vinícius says one thing, Prestianni another. I can't fully support Prestianni, but I also can't confirm Vinícius's version as true. I just don't know.” He emphasized that before the goal, it was “a great match,” and praised the goal as something “only Vinícius or Kylian Mbappé could score.” However, Mourinho criticized the celebration: “After that goal, he should have been carried off by his teammates, not confronted by 60,000 fans in the stands.”

The 61-year-old coach also referenced the series of incidents where Vinícius had been a victim of racial discrimination in recent years: “How many stadiums has this happened in? He’s an extraordinary player, I admire Vinícius. But scoring like that… he should leave the field on his teammates’ shoulders. For me, the match ended there.”

Mourinho also questioned: “Why doesn’t he celebrate like Eusébio, Pelé, or Di Stéfano?”

Additionally, Mourinho expressed frustration over his own red card, believing he was dismissed for speaking too frankly: “The referee has a list of players who cannot receive yellow cards. I only told him what everyone knows. We all understand how things work.”