Has Mourinho Finally Crossed the Line Between a Pantomime Villain and a Genuine Bad Guy?

Friend or Foe? Mourinho Blurs the Lines After Vini Jr Racism Scandal

Whether you love him or you hate him, Jose Mourinho has been one of football’s most divisive characters for more than two decades.

Some nigh-on worship him for his honesty, deadpan humour, managerial acumen and prestigious trophy cabinet, while others malign him, labelling the Portuguese coach as “arrogant”, and for some, “unbearable”. Whichever side you fall on, you always have something to say when Mourinho crops up in conversation.

His iconic press conferences, such as his famed "I am the special one" line, his wild celebrations in the faces of rival fans (remember Chelsea 2-0 Liverpool, Koppites?), and his seemingly endless charm in the public eye have slowly seen him become a fan favourite.

José Mourinho turns 63.

Never a dull moment with the Special One 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/RfvqgAQeiN

— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 26, 2026

For the majority of his career, Mourinho has perfectly performed the role of pantomime villain, a character disliked but immensely respected by all rival clubs, and a manager you would pay shedloads of money to have in charge of your team.

But in the wake of his side Benfica’s Champions League clash with ex-club Real Madrid on Tuesday night, in which Vinicius Jr accused Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni of making racist comments towards him, Mourinho seemed to move to the dark side, his response to the alleged on-field outburst the exact opposite of what he has been seen to stand for for so many years.

Is Jose Mourinho simply a bad guy?

How Did Mourinho React?

As Jose Mourinho made his way to the press room following his side's 1-0 defeat to Los Blancos, the only questions any reporters had on their minds were regarding the racially motivated incident between Vini Jr and Prestianni, an event which had seen the match temporarily abandoned while officials attempted to quell the uproar.

Of course, when Mourinho sat down, the match and result were secondary – everybody wanted to hear his reaction, and, as usual, the self-proclaimed “Special One” delivered once again, although not in the vein anyone wanted or expected.

However, rather than condemning the unconfirmed abuse directed at Vini Jr by one of his players, Jose went on the defensive and opted instead to shift blame onto the Real Madrid winger.

Jose Mourinho has faced criticism for his response to the alleged racist abuse of Vinicius Jr during Real Madrid’s match at Benfica. pic.twitter.com/hbiUVSlFNR

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) February 18, 2026

“I told (Vinicius), when you score a goal like that, you just celebrate and walk away.” Just moments before the alleged racist abuse, Vini Jr had scored an absolute peach of a goal, curling in from the far left side of the box and into the top corner, a special goal worthy of celebration.

And celebrate he did. Upon seeing the ball fly into the back of the net, the Brazilian waltzed over to the corner and danced somewhat erotically with the corner flag right in front of the Benfica supporters who, perhaps understandably, were not all too happy.

But what Mourinho said unashamedly implied that because the Brazilian scored a fantastic goal and then added a typical 'joga bonito' celebration to accompany it, inevitably grating on the nerves of all those associated with Benfica FC, he opened himself up to racist abuse by not considering his environment, the away fans, and the opposing players.

It’s an outrageous accusation. In no walk of life should someone in the 99th percentile of the profession open themselves up to abuse simply because they are good and they know it. It should be the precise opposite - they should be lauded in praise and credit, given standing ovations, and steal all the next day's headlines.

He further stated that, “There is something wrong because it happens at every stadium. A stadium where Vinicius plays, something happens, always.” Yes, Vinicius Jr does have the type of personality and ability that can really enrage rival fanbases.

However, racism is not an acceptable retaliation to his antics. Mourinho is clearly indicating that it’s Vinicius' own fault that he is frequently targeted with racist abuse, unashamedly ignoring the large demographic of fans who remain steadfastly against equality.

Mourinho dug his hole further still by adding that, “When he was arguing about racism, I told him the biggest person in the history of the club was Black. This club, the last thing that it is, is racist." He was, of course, talking about Eusebio, a man who went down as one of the greatest to ever play the game in his 14 years at the club, netting 317 times in 301 games.

Jose Mourinho really used the ‘We’re not racist, we have black friends’ line 😔 https://t.co/t4HQOAECF8

— Out of Context Football Manager (@nocontextfm1) February 17, 2026

Though, in the most simplistic way, Mourinho can be supported here, one player's legacy does not immunise an entire stadium, along with eleven players, from being racist – though it would be wonderful if human nature could work in such a way, it is simply not possible.

His comments could not have been further from the truth – along with the unconfirmed allegations of racism towards Prestianni, Champions League winner and former TNT Sports pundit Rio Ferdinand posted a video of multiple Benfica fans making racist gestures towards Real Madrid players, all while Leandro Barreiro, who himself is a Black member of the Benfica team, was within earshot.

This 14-second clip alone shatters Mourinho’s argument that the fact Eusebio is a legend at the club means that the club itself is not racist – so why did he choose to say it?

Was Mourinho Simply Annoyed?

There is a chance Mourinho was being difficult in the press because he was sent off with six minutes of normal time remaining, a red card indirectly influenced by Vini Jr himself.

In the 84th minute, Richard Rios was lining up to welly one at Thibaut Courtois’ goal from around 25 yards out, but right as he was on his downswing, Vini Jr came hurtling in and clipped Rios’ shooting leg, causing a spectacular loss in balance and resulting tumble.

The free kick was given, so Benfica was presented with a goal-scoring opportunity, but after receiving a yellow card for his over-zealous celebrations earlier in the game, Vinicius was already skating on thin ice. Mourinho, never one to miss an opportunity to get an opponent sent off, was out of his seat before the referee finished blowing his whistle and got animated quickly.

Immediately, the Portuguese coach started absolutely bombarding the fourth official, and shortly, the referee came over to see what the kerfuffle was about - Mourinho, who was never going to back down lightly, then started having a pop at the referee too. Two yellow cards in quick succession, and the Benfica coach was sent to watch the remainder of the game from the stands.

🚨🗣️ Jose Mourinho on his red card and goes AGAINST the referee:

"It wasn’t about Vinícius’ second yellow.... No. I was sent off because I said something very clear."

"The referee had a note that basically said: ‘Tchouaméni, Carreras and Huijsen can’t get a yellow card!’...… pic.twitter.com/ACHMACsqC7

— The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) February 17, 2026

What else could he have been arguing about other than a second yellow for Vini Jr? He was so convinced in his own mind that he was right that he would not allow either the official or referee to talk, and when it was clear that his protests were going to go unaddressed, he clearly got personal with the referee, resulting in his sending off.

But while there will naturally be anger at the officials for dismissing him, Mourinho’s primary frustration will be with Vinicius, the main protagonist on the night. Was the red card the reason behind Mourinho’s cryptic and rather unsupportive reaction to the alleged racist abuse?

The Allegations Return

Remarkably, and perhaps somewhat unsurprisingly, this is not the first time that Mourinho has found himself in hot water around the subject of racism. In 2025, he was accused by Turkish club Galatasaray of making a “racist statement” in the wake of a 0-0 draw while he was in charge of Fenerbahçe.

Immediately, social media took to their screens to support their favourite pantomime villain – everyone thought, “I know he’s meant to be unlikeable, but there’s no way he’d go that far.”

Even former Galatasaray player Didier Drogba, the Ivorian striker Mourinho brought to Chelsea and turned into one of the best Premier League strikers ever, leapt to his former boss's aid, issuing a strong statement on social media that effectively ended the argument.

“Trust me when I tell you I have known Jose for 25 years and he is not a racist. History (past and recent) is there to prove that. How can my “Dad” be a racist? Come on, guys.” When Didier Drogba says something, people tend to listen; after all, the striker virtually single-handedly put an end to the Ivorian civil war in 2005.

Mourinho is wrong but he is not racist in fact the opposite. At Chelsea he gave a platform for many African players like Drogba, Essien, Obi Mikel that we really had not yet seen and many players of black skin. Look at what Drogba said about him. So lets not rewrite history pic.twitter.com/IMHqFleYZF

— ^ (@Mk__Cfc) February 17, 2026

In the year that has elapsed since, Mourinho has largely kept himself far removed from any type of scandal, let alone a racial one, but sooner or later, he was always going to find the limelight again. It’s just such a shame that it is in the most serious of circumstances that Mourinho now finds himself a little hot under the collar.

Vinicius is an infuriating prospect to play against – his goal record, personal and team accolades, and his endless list of celebrations are testament to that.

But Mourinho has shed himself in a new light with his response. He now looks like a dinosaur, capable only of backwards thinking and self-defence when a crime as serious as racist abuse is committed on the pitch by a member of his own squad.

Had many predicted how Mourinho would have reacted, very few would have seen this coming. What the Portuguese coach is trying to do is gaslight the Brazilian winger, to twist the mind of the player in such a way that he ends up seeing himself as part of the problem.

Eusebio being a Benfica legend has got nothing to do with Prestianni being a racist piece of shit who plays for Benfica right now, under Mourinho. These Mourinho quotes are terrible. The bar for him to speak nonsense is low but this is a new low.

— Mehedi Hassan (@MHassanFootball) February 18, 2026

Those targeted by racist abuse are never part of the problem; in fact, whenever they speak out, particularly during a match, they become just one more deterrent against this abhorrent behaviour. Mourinho desperately needs a shift in mindset and to be taught a lesson.

Racism should never have people defending or even deflecting from it. Mourinho, and in fact the whole organisation of Benfica football club, need to stop defending Prestianni, or they risk tarnishing their reputations for the rest of their respective days.