Mourinho Defends Booed Mbappe and Vinicius, Compares Them to "Trees Full of Fruit"

Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has jumped to the defence of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr after both players were booed by their own fans this week, comparing the pair to fruit trees that everyone wants a piece of.

Mbappe scored the opener in Real Madrid's 2-1 win over Inter Milan on Tuesday, a goal that moved him into joint fifth on the Champions League's all time scoring list. Despite that, both he and Brazilian winger Vinicius Jr were jeered by home fans at the Bernabeu.

"We Only Throw Stones At The Trees That Have Fruit"

Both players have faced criticism over their defensive work, but Mourinho says the jeers come down to jealousy rather than fair criticism.

Asked about Vinicius Jr, he said: "In Portuguese, we have a proverb that says we only throw stones at the trees that have fruit.

"So what Vini has done here over recent years, how many Champions Leagues he's won, how many goals he's scored, how many balls he's won, his achievements speak for themselves so he is the tree that has a lot of fruit on it and people want to get a piece of Vini.

"During this digital era where we have access to so many stats, we can tell that he is very close to getting to his best version. He's even set some records already. The stats and numbers he registers suggest we will see his best version very soon."

Mourinho: Mbappe Was "Defending Like An Animal"

Mourinho gave a similar defence of Mbappe, who scored 42 goals in 44 games for the club last season and is among the nominees for this year's Ballon d'Or.

"I want to remind you of the proverb I said before. He is the tree with a lot of fruit," Mourinho said. "Obviously a player who scores more than 40 goals for a team is never a problem.

"I saw Kylian giving it his all. He was defending like an animal, even when he had nothing left. His attitude is incredible. It is a joy for me to see a player like that."

Why Are The Fans Booing?

Real Madrid failed to win a trophy last season despite Mbappe's goals, and Spanish football expert Guillem Balague believes that is one of several reasons behind the fans' frustration.

"I don't think anyone really knows [why]," Balague told BBC 5Live's Euro Leagues podcast.

"There was a bit about the past, of two years of no winning. But the two main stars are not that liked by the fans.

"Mbappe feels a little bit cold, sometimes he can be like Cristiano Ronaldo and he speaks like he is bigger than Real Madrid. And also, he said no to Real Madrid about three times before and maybe they haven't forgotten that, but without Mbappe's goals, the club would be in a very different place.

"And Vinicius worked really hard without the ball, but they just don't forgive him anything even though he did renew his contract. It's a bit of a mystery but I think he is feeling the heat of it."