The meeting between Real Madrid and Benfica turned into a big scandal, and Kylian Mbappé did not hide his opinion about one of the main actors.
At the Estádio da Luz stadium in Lisbon, Benfica and Real Madrid met in a match that was supposed to decide the passage to the knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League.
Real Madrid were 1-0 up with a goal from Vinícius Júnior in the 50th minute, but the goal celebration set off a series of events that saw football take a back seat.
Reactions from the stands were stormy, and the situation soon escalated on the field as well. Vinícius reported to the referee that the Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni sent him a racist insult, which led to an immediate stoppage of the match.
Mbappé was also in the immediate vicinity of the incident, who reacted violently. As Marca writes, the footage recorded how the Real striker repeatedly shouted at the Argentine Benfica player:
“You’re a female racist! You’re a female racist!”
Kylian Mbappé: “Prestianni clearly called Vini Jr a monkey, it happened five times”.
“I saw that. UEFA have the best cameras, now we wait. This is not acceptable. It’s not my kind of human being”. pic.twitter.com/XsXCxDRpoW
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 17, 2026
The tension grew further, and the referee activated UEFA’s anti-racism protocol. Vinícius sat on the bench and initially refused to continue the game, while his teammates surrounded Prestianni.
The meeting was interrupted for almost ten minutes, until the situation calmed down at least partially.
“PRESTIANNI le HA LLAMADO 5 VECES ‘MONO’ a VINICIUS”.
MBAPPÉ EXPLICA TODO lo sucedido en el Estádio da Luz con @EduAguirre7. pic.twitter.com/fLZwnuOcmo
— El Chiringuito TV (@elchiringuitotv) February 17, 2026
After the game, Real’s midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni also spoke, who reported what was happening among the players:
“This must not happen. Vinny told us that the guy called him a ‘monkey’. He, on the other hand, claims that he didn’t say anything, that is, that he said… I don’t know, ‘fags’ or whatever. Vinny told us we have to keep playing. I don’t know what to say now, we will talk, but this must not happen again.”
According to Spanish media, the incident did not end with the referee’s final whistle.
Allegedly, part of the Benfica coaching staff tried to enter the Real Madrid dressing room, and the tensions continued in the stadium tunnel.
(Vijesti.ba)
