Jose Mourinho and Vinicius Junior spoke at length during the ugly clash (Picture: Getty)Jose Mourinho says he instructed Vinicius Junior to ‘just celebrate and walk back’ in future after the forward issued a complaint of alleged racist abuse in Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Benfica. There were deeply troubling and unsavoury scenes after Vinicius Junior broke the deadlock with a moment of magic just five minutes after the restart at Lisbon’s Estadio da Luz. Vinicius Junior celebrated his sublime effort by dancing directly in front of Benfica’s home fans by the corner flag – a reaction which immediately upset many of Mourinho’s players. Referee Francois Letexier showed Vinicius Junior a yellow card for his part in goading Benfica’s supporters behind the goal, many of whom reacted by hurling objects at the 25-year-old attacker. While it remains uncertain what – if anything – Prestianni had said, Spanish publication AS are reporting that Vinicius Junior is accusing the Argentinian of calling him a ‘monkey’.

Source: Metro February 17, 2026 23:37 UTC