Real Madrid mnaager Alvaro Arbeloa – ‘When Mourinho finds out what he said, he will be the first…’

Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa has put his full backing behind Vinicius Junior, after he was allegedly racially abused by Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni. The Brazilian informed the referee about the abuse during their 1-0 win over Benfica, and the game was stopped for around 10 minutes following the activation of the anti-racism protocol.

Following the incidents during the match, it was the main topic of Arbeloa’s post-match press conference, and he was asked if he believed that he did indeed believe Prestianni had called Vinicius a monkey.

“I believe what Vini says. Of course. I would never doubt Vini’s words,” Arbeloa told Diario AS after the match.

“You need to ask the Benfica player. We all deserve to hear his answer. It’s clear that there must be absolute tolerance for racism. We cannot allow things like this to happen on a football pitch in 2026.”

‘We would have walked if Vinicius wanted to’ – Arbeloa

Teammate Kylian Mbappe had backed up Vinicius’ version events, telling the press that he had called Vinicius a monkey five times. Arbeloa revealed that he would have pulled his players off the pitch had Vinicius decided that was what he wanted.

“All I told him was that if he wanted to keep playing, we’d be by his side, whatever decision he made. Always by his side. We ride together, we die together, and when something like this happens, we’re always there for him. We’ll always fight together, just like today.”

Referee Francois Letexier was unable to take stronger action, having not heard the insult himself.

“The referee told me he didn’t hear anything and couldn’t do anything. It was Vinicius’s decision. We can’t tolerate this kind of behaviour. Of course, if we had been there, we would have stood by him.”

‘When Jose finds out, he’ll be the first to say…’

Arbeloa and Mourinho spoke during the long stoppage, and Arbeloa called on his former manager to condemn Prestianni.

“I didn’t see Vini’s celebration. I did see the amazing goal, though. I think Jose, when he finds out what happened and what his player said, will be the first to say he won’t allow it. Zero tolerance, and we’re very happy with the team. This is the Real Madrid we want to see.”

In his own post-match press conference, Mourinho said that he could not side with either player as both had come out with different stories.

‘Vinicius is calm but sad’ – Arbeloa

Arbeloa noted that without players setting an example, it would be difficult for football to eradicate racism. He spoke highly of his star forward for his handling of it.

“He’s calm. It’s something nobody likes… Obviously, it’s something we must eradicate from football. If the players don’t do something about it, it’s very difficult.”

“The sad thing is, it’s not the first time. Vini isn’t just a spectacular player, but a guy everyone loves. When you get to know him, you realise what a good person he is. He’s always had to overcome situations like this, and we’ll be there for him.”

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