Real Madrid opened their La Liga season with a 2-1 victory away at Espanyol on August 22, 2026, with goals from Jude Bellingham and late substitute Carlos Espí sealing the win [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Espanyol's Alex Calatrava scored the equalizer but was also involved in a rough foul on Vinicius Junior early in the match. Calatrava caught Vinicius from behind and brought him down while he was on the ground, sparking appeals by Real Madrid players for a red card that went unheeded by the referee [1, 2, 6, 3, 5].

Vinicius Junior also received a yellow card for an argument with Espanyol's Cala, which coach Jose Mourinho called an avoidable booking [7, 4, 5]. Mourinho openly condemned the pattern of bullying and aggressive treatment that Vinicius faces during matches, saying, "Vinicius is no saint, but what they're doing to him was too much. Right from the first minute. It's a pattern that repeats itself from one opponent to the next" [1]. He added, "We're in an era where society is against bullying, yet with Vini we're still seeing bullying – from opponents and from the crowd" [1]. Mourinho urged Vinicius to exercise emotional control on the pitch and warned him to be cautious in how he celebrates goals to avoid bookings or reactions, stating, "If you score a goal, you need to be careful how you celebrate it" [1, 7, 2, 6, 3, 4, 5].

Mourinho recalled an incident last season when Vinicius was subjected to discriminatory abuse by Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni in a Champions League match. Prestianni received a six-match UEFA ban for homophobic conduct. Mourinho himself was criticized at the time for defending Prestianni and denying racism in the incident, but now backs Vinicius fully as his own player [1, 2, 6, 3].

Despite Espanyol's strong defensive and counter-attacking play, Mourinho said Real Madrid deserved the win but acknowledged that "Espanyol didn't deserve to lose" [4]. He praised Jude Bellingham's role close to goal and his physical and mental strength, saying, "I like this Jude" [4, 5].

Real Madrid will return to action at the Bernabéu on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, facing Real Sociedad in their next La Liga match [4, 5].