Each time Vinícius Júnior gets booed, sent off or hooked, José Mourinho steps to the microphone and speaks for him.

He did it again on Wednesday night after Real Madrid routed RB Leipzig 4-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu to keep a perfect Champions League start, three wins from three. Vinícius was off in the 70th minute. Yan Diomande came on in his place and scored in the 87th.

“The substitution isn’t the decision of a coach who isn’t happy; it’s the decision of a coach who has a rich bench,” Mourinho said after the match.

“Vini defended very well. Then he had a chance to score a brilliant goal, but the goalkeeper made a great save,” he told reporters.

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That chance drew a difficult stop from Maarten Vandevoordt before half-time. Vinícius left the pitch without a goal, extending a run of nine straight appearances for Real Madrid without scoring.

The Bernabéu whistles keep coming

Vinícius has been jeered at the Bernabéu for weeks, and Mourinho has made a visible routine of standing between the player and the crowd.

“I believe he needs everyone’s support,” he said of the whistles.

“If being booed away from home is motivating, it hurts when it happens at home.”

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Asked whether Vinícius was unhappy at being withdrawn, Mourinho replied:

“Sad… whether he is or not is a very personal matter. I’m pleased with the match he’s played,” he told the press conference.

The limit Mourinho has already drawn

The public backing is not unconditional. Mourinho has already set the ground he will not defend, and he set it before Wednesday.

After an earlier Champions League match against Roma, when Vinícius was taken off in the 59th minute and showed his frustration on the touchline, the coach drew his line in advance.

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“It’s normal for him not to be happy. If he did what many others do, such as throwing a water bottle, I wouldn’t like that,” Mourinho said at the time.

That warning sits against a season of flashpoints. Vinícius was sent off against Villarreal on 10 October for pulling Nathan Saliba’s hair, a dismissal that drew a four-match La Liga ban and ruled him out of the Clásico at Barcelona.

The 26-year-old will watch this weekend’s trip to league leaders Barcelona from the stands, with his next appearance for Real Madrid due only once the suspension is served.

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