Real Madrid coach José Mourinho and Kylian Mbappé have defended Vinícius Júnior after the Brazilian forward drew whistles from the home fans during Wednesday's win over RB Leipzig.
Vinícius has not found the back of the net in his last nine games for Los Blancos and was substituted in the 70th minute of his team's 4-1 victory.
Asked about Vinícius again being whistled by the crowd at the Bernabéu, Mourinho said: "When you are on the pitch and you are whistled when playing away, often it's a boost to your motivation. When it's at home, it hurts."
Vinícius, who served the first game of a four-match ban in LaLiga at the weekend, has only one goal and three assists in 11 appearances this season.
He has been visibly frustrated at times. Vinícius wrote after Wednesday's game: "Living in the moment. Everything passes," along with a winking emoji.
On Vinícius' state of mind, Mourinho said: "Only he can say whether he feels sad, but I am pleased.
"Vini put in a good tactical performance. Vini defended very well. He then had a chance to score a brilliant goal, but the goalkeeper made a great save."
Asked how Vinícius can recover his best form, considering the player will not play in the next 14 days because of his league ban, Mourinho told TNT Sports Brazil: "Work, work. He cannot play but he can work his physique with an individualised plan.
"But I was happy with his performance. Ok, he didn't score, he wasn't man of the match but he had a good game for the team."
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Mbappé, who was named MVP of Wednesday's game after setting up Madrid's second goal and scoring his team's third, believes teammate Vinícius' time will come.
"He's doing well," the French forward said. "It's good that he's upset because it means he wants to give a lot to the team and the fans. I think he just needs to stay calm and proud of who he is. A great player must always take pride in who they are and gain confidence because the quality is there."
