Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe has told the press that Gianluca Prestianni should never play Champions League football again. The French star gave his version of events following an incident of alleged racism towards Vinicius Junior from the Benfica winger.
Vinicius had just put Real Madrid in front at the Estadio da Luz, with a stunning effort into the top corner five minutes after the break. The Brazilian was then booked afterwards for his celebrations for inciting the crowd, but the arguments with Benfica’s players continued. Prestianni appeared to say something to Vinicius, after which he ran to the referee, and the anti-racism protocol was activated.
Mbappe: Prestianni should never play in the Champions League again
After the incident, one of the players who was most incensed was Mbappe. He told Movistar+ that Prestianni should not play in the competition again.
“We have to set an example for children. This is the Champions League, the competition I dreamed of as a child, the one I watched with my parents when I was a kid… and there are things we can’t accept. Because the world is watching us. We shouldn’t generalise, because that’s a problem when these kinds of things happen. I have Portuguese friends and teammates, and they’ve always treated me very well, but when someone behaves like this, it has to be said.”
🗣️ “No merece jugar más la Champions. Hay que hacer algo”.
Mbappé, sobre Prestianni. #UCL #LaCasaDelFútbol pic.twitter.com/2tSjTXqQjK
— Movistar Plus+ Deportes (@MPlusDeportes) February 17, 2026
“Then, we were booed, which is normal, because they don’t know what happened; I have nothing against the fans, the club, or its coach, one of the best in history. But something has to be done. We can’t accept a player like that playing in the Champions League; he doesn’t deserve it. But we’ll see what happens. Let’s let UEFA make the decisions. It’s a serious case.”
‘He called him a monkey five times’ – Mbappe
Mbappe went on to confirm that Prestianni had racially abused Vinicius, and explained what he said.
“What I’ve seen is very clear: player number 25 has told Vini five times, ‘You’re a monkey.’ In the end, everyone will have their own opinion. I’m trying to come here and give an explanation, because from where you were, it’s impossible to know what’s going on. And our job is to provide as much information as possible. We all have to pull in the same direction… we can’t accept this kind of behavior. It’s wonderful to play in the Champions League, the competition that excites everyone. But this kind of image is terrible.”
Prestianni at no point apologised to Vinicius either, according to Mbappe.
“No! But did you see his face?! I can understand the people who were in the stadium, that’s why I’m coming here calmly. We’re not stupid, I’m telling you. I’m not perfect, there are things I do wrong; but I’m not going to let this go. It can’t be that these players… and this one, on top of that, being young… How could he even think of saying something like that?!”
‘We thought about leaving the pitch’ – Mbappe
The game was paused for around 10 minutes, while the anti-racism protocol was applied, before Real Madrid‘s players eventually returned to action. Mbappe explained that they considered leaving the game.
“We thought about leaving, that’s why we left. Then several things happened and we came back. We stayed focused on the match and we won; but the match isn’t important today, there are more important things than football tonight”
“I said: What do you want to do? He had been asked, and I told him, ‘Whatever you want to do, we’ll do it as a team.’ Because I already said in the press conference before the Monaco game that we will never leave him alone.”
‘You’re a f***ing racist’ – Mbappe to Prestianni
Cameras also picked up Mbappe calling Prestianni a racist during the game after play had resumed. Mbappe confirmed that was what he was saying after the match.
— Follow @MMajeedX – @RM4Arab (@mmtvcl01) February 17, 2026
“I told him, because that’s what I think. I think you guys have the best cameras possible; nothing ever happens without people seeing it. So analyse his face, look at his face; his face doesn’t lie. Because he was clever, he covered his lips with his shirt so we couldn’t see what he said. But the face doesn’t lie. Look at his face and his attitude. He doesn’t deserve to play in the best competition in Europe.”
“Eres un p*** racista”.
Mbappé, a Prestianni.#UCL #LaCasaDelFútbol pic.twitter.com/7dKvG2LgNH
— Movistar Plus+ Deportes (@MPlusDeportes) February 17, 2026
It is, disgracefully, not the first time that Vinicius has suffered racial abuse while playing for Real Madrid, but it is the first time that he has accused another player as the perpetrator. Given the anti-racism protocol was activated, UEFA will be forced to investigate. Jose Mourinho noted after the game that Prestianni had told him that he had not said what he was being accused of.
