Alvaro Arbeloa has reiterated that Real Madrid will “ride together and die together” after Vinicius was allegedly racially abused during the match. Los Blancos Defeated Benfica in the Champions League play-offs.
According to Kylian Mbappe, Benfica’s Gianluca Prestani covered his mouth with his shirt after the Brazilian scored the only goal of the game and was booked for celebrating, while players walked back to the center circle and called the Real Madrid striker a monkey.
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Arbeloa took a stand against racism in football at a press conference, insisting there must be “absolute zero tolerance for racism”.
“These things can’t happen on a football field in 2026,” he said, adding, “I believe Vinnie told me his name. I don’t believe he would invent something like this.”
“Sadly, this is not the first time [Vini Jr has been subjected to racism]. He was a boy who was not only a great player but a great person who was loved by everyone. Once you get to know him, you quickly realize what a great guy he is and how many times he has had to contend with situations like this.
“He has always been a fighter, he will continue to be a fighter, and we will always be on his side.”
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Play at the Stadium of Light was paused for ten minutes after Vinny reported Prestiani’s comments to the referee, with Arbeloa saying the referee “didn’t hear anything and couldn’t do anything in the situation”.
He explained that the decision was taken by Vinnie – with the Real Madrid boss confirming, “We will stand with him in whatever decision he takes.
“We stand by his side and we will stand together no matter what decision he makes. We have to always stand by his side. We are a team and I always tell them, we ride together and die together.”
“When someone shows this attitude toward one of us, we always stand by them. We are a united team and we will always fight together, just like we did today.”
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Prestani denied the accusations against them, saying in a statement posted on his social media: “I would like to clarify that at no time did I make a racist insult towards Vinicius Jr., who unfortunately misunderstood what he thought he heard.
“I have never been racist towards anyone,” the Benfica player added.
