Vinicius Junior was left apoplectic after a comment from Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni (Picture: Getty)Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Benfica was put on hold for nine minutes at the start of the second half as Vinicius Junior issued a complaint of alleged racist abuse following an altercation with Gianluca Prestianni. Vinicius Junior brought the first leg of the Champions League knockout play-off to life with a piece of individual brilliance to open the scoring five minutes after the restart at Lisbon’s Estadio da Luz. Though it remains uncertain what – if anything – Prestianni had said, a report from Spanish publication AS claims Vinicius Junior accused the Argentina international of calling him a ‘monkey’. There were whistles in the crowd as Vinicius Junior walked off the pitch and sat on Madrid’s bench in protest, before eventually returning to the field of play. ‘Vinicius Junior is not happy with what’s been said.

Source: Metro February 18, 2026 10:32 UTC