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Real Madrid players celebrate scoring in the UEFA Champions League knockout round play-off first leg vs SL Benfica at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon on February 17, 2026. [FILIPE AMORIM / AFP]
Trent Alexander-Arnold hit out at “disgusting” alleged racist abuse directed at team-mate Vinicius Junior, whose wonder goal gave Real Madrid a crucial 1-0 Champions League play-off first leg victory at Benfica on Tuesday.
The game was stopped for more than 10 minutes due to a racism protocol after Vinicius accused Benfica midfielder Gianluca Prestianni of racially abusing him.
“It’s disgusting. What’s happened tonight is a disgrace for football. It’s ruined the night for the team,” said former Liverpool full-back Alexander-Arnold.
Real forward Kylian Mbappe called on Prestianni to be banned.
“We cannot accept there’s a player playing in Europe’s best competition and behaving like this,” the France captain told reporters.
“This guy doesn’t deserve to play in the Champions League again.”
Brazilian forward Vinicius had just scored the only goal of the game in the 50th minute when he provoked the ire of Benfica fans, and some players, by celebrating in front of the home crowd in Lisbon.
After arguing with Prestianni, Vinicius ran over to referee Francois Letexier and told the Frenchman — who had booked him for his celebrations — that he had been called “mono”, the Spanish word for monkey, by the Argentine.
French midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni confirmed after the game that Vinicius had claimed that he was called a monkey.
Benfica coach Jose Mourinho said that Prestianni had denied racially abusing Vinicius, and hit out at the Brazilian for inciting Benfica’s players and fans with his celebration.
“When you score a goal like that, you celebrate in a respectful way,” said Mourinho, who was sent off late on for angrily protesting that Vinicius should have received a second booking.
“There is something wrong because it happens in every stadium — where Vinicius plays, something happens, always.”
‘He said something ugly’
Real captain Federico Valverde said he was proud of how Vinicius had handled himself in the circumstances.
“I don’t know what he (Prestianni) said, but all the team-mates who were close by said he said something ugly, something he shouldn’t say,” Valverde told Movistar.
Prestianni had covered his mouth with his jersey before the exchange that angered Vinicius.
“If you cover your mouth to say something it’s because he’s saying something that’s not good,” added Valverde.
“In the end I’m proud of the team-mates that defended Vini, proud of Vini who kept on going, played a spectacular game and that’s what I’ll remember from him.”
Vinicius, 25, has been targeted with racial abuse during his time in Spain on several occasions by opposition fans.
Four Atletico Madrid ultras were handed suspended jail sentences in June last year for hanging a dummy of Vinicius from a bridge in what police deemed a “hate crime”, among several other court convictions.
In May 2023, Vinicius squared off with fans at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium after being racially abused.
“It’s happened many times already, and at this point I think, well, I think leaving the pitch isn’t an option that football as a spectacle would appreciate, but there’s also someone who has harmed the spectacle by saying something that isn’t right,” added Valverde when asked whether his team should have walked off the pitch.
Some Benfica fans pelted Real players with projectiles as they celebrated Vinicius’s goal.
The whole incident sparked angry clashes between the two benches, with Letexier showing a red card to a member of the Real backroom staff.
After a break of more than 10 minutes, due to Letexier implementing the racism protocol, the match resumed, with Real comfortably seeing out the victory.