Gianluca Prestianni pushes back after Vinicius accuses him of racist abuse: “He misinterpreted what he thought he heard”

Gianluca Prestianni has publicly defended himself after Vinicius accused him of repeatedly calling him “monkey” during Tuesday’s Champions League playoff first leg in Lisbon. Moments after putting Madrid ahead—and before play resumed—the Brazilian star alerted the referee and triggered the league’s anti‑racism protocol, claiming the Benfica winger had insulted him multiple times.

In the early‑morning hours, between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET, Prestianni broke his silence on Instagram, insisting he never directed any racist slur at the Brazilian forward.

“I want to make it clear that at no point did I use racist insults toward Vinicius Júnior, who unfortunately misinterpreted what he thinks he heard. I have never been racist toward anyone. And I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players,” he wrote.

Prestianni expands his defense on X

On X—formerly Twitter—Prestianni went even further, continuing to defend himself throughout the night.

“If they’re so sure I supposedly made a racist comment to Vinicius Junior, why didn’t anyone react? Accusing someone of something so serious isn’t right, especially when it’s not true. And everyone pointing fingers because I covered my mouth with my jersey, when they know every player does that. Stop trying to invent things,” he argued.

Benfica backs its player without hesitation

Around 8:40 p.m. ET, Benfica publicly backed its young winger, reposting his Instagram statement and adding a message of full support: “Together, by your side.”

But the club didn’t stop there. At 9:11 p.m. ET, Benfica released a video on its X account that it claims disproves Vinicius Jr.’s version of events. According to the club, the footage shows that the distance between Prestianni and the Real Madrid players made it “impossible for them to hear what they say they heard.”

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