Former Arsenal and France forward Thierry Henry has called on Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni to “tell the truth” about his altercation with Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior during the UEFA Champions League knockout play-off first leg on February 17, 2026, in an emotional discussion on CBS Sports Golazo.
The incident occurred after Vinícius Júnior scored the only goal in Real Madrid’s 1-0 win at Estádio da Luz, prompting him to report alleged racist abuse from Prestianni to referee François Letexier. The match was halted for approximately 10 minutes under UEFA’s anti-racism protocol. Vinícius later posted on social media: “Racists are, above all, cowards.” Teammate Kylian Mbappé claimed he heard Prestianni use the slur “monkey” multiple times.
Prestianni has denied the allegations, stating on social media: “I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults to Vini Jr, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard. I was never racist with anyone and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players.” During the confrontation, Prestianni covered his mouth with his shirt.
Henry, relating his own past experiences with racism, questioned Prestianni’s account and urged accountability. His full speech from the broadcast is as follows:
“We don’t know what Prestianni has said, because he was very courageous by putting his shirt over his mouth to make sure that we weren’t going to see what he said, so clearly, already, you look suspicious. Because you didn’t want people to see or read what you said. Then, the reaction of Vinicius is telling me that something not right happened. We still don’t know what was said. Vinicus can tell us his side, and Prestianni, I’m sure, will not tell us what he actually said, because I saw at one point Kylian Mbappe confront him, and he said, ‘I didn’t say anything’.
“Well, he must have said something at the very least. You feel like you don’t know what to do anymore. We’re in 2026 and still after a game like that, where we’re supposed to talk about his brilliant goal, we shouldn’t be having to deal with the referee telling you to not go to the corner flag, because that will incite the crowd. It’s a corner, can he not take a corner? He can’t go there to take a corner just because people are thinking whatever they’re thinking. Suddenly he becomes a victim. I can relate. I can assure you, when that happens, you don’t know what to do anymore.
“He tried to walk out in Spain one time, and another time, he tried to kick someone back because he’d had enough. Now he went to see the referee to tell him what happened. I’ve been there. The referee also told me he couldn’t do anything about it.” Let’s see how big of a man Prestianni is. Tell us what you said. You must have said something, because you can’t go to Mbappe and say, ‘I didn’t say anything’. What do you mean, you covered your nose for what, you have a cold?”
Henry emphasized the emotional toll, noting Vinícius has faced similar incidents repeatedly and that such events overshadow performances and leave victims feeling isolated.
UEFA has appointed an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector to investigate the allegations, with further details expected. The second leg is scheduled for February 25, 2026, at the Santiago Bernabéu.