Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni poised to become the best player in Portugal | OneFootball

Gianluca Prestianni has been in sensational form for Benfica this season (EPA/Bo Amstrup - LUSA ©)

Five goals and two assists in six Liga Portugal (2026/2027) appearances.

Forget the PortuGOAL Figure of the Week. Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni has been the Figure of the Season thus far.

The Argentinian winger has operated on the left-hand side of Marco Silva’s rejuvenated attack, scoring spectacular curling efforts on multiple occasions, all stemming from impressive ball-carries.

Now one goal away from his most productive season, the 20-year-old is finally making headlines for all the right reasons. Kevin Fernandes reports on the turbulent story of Gianluca Prestianni.

Prevailing at Vélez

Born in Ciudadela of the Buenos Aires province of Argentina, Gianluca Prestianni Gross took his initial steps into youth and senior football at Vélez Sarsfield. El Fortín have won double-digit league titles, but Prestianni’s passage at the club coincided with grave underachievement and was mired in controversy.

In his first full senior season, Gianluca testified that he was hit in the face while team-mates were threatened at gunpoint as an attack on the squad was orchestrated by a group of ultras, somewhat similar to the Sporting CP scandal of 2018. Vélez found themselves on the brink of relegation, a fate they have only met on a sole occasion, in 1940.

Amid the chaos, Gianluca Prestianni was a bright spark, coupled with promising performances for Argentina at U-17 level (despite interest from the Italian national team, due to his Italian descent).

From Buenos Aires to Benfica

The winger and his diminutive stature caught the eye of British publication The Guardian, as he was named one of the best players born in 2006 worldwide.

Benfica had also seen enough, reminiscing about deep-rooted relationships with fellow countrymen which has served them so well, from Ángel Di María, Eduardo Salvio, Nicolás Gaitán, Javier Saviola to perhaps the most notorious example of them all, Pablo Aimar.

A month prior to his 18th birthday, Benfica reached an agreement with Vélez for Prestianni’s signature, paying an overall potential fee of 11 million euros for the 17-year-old.

It was an explosive start to the career of an attacker known for his speed and ability to drive at defences while throwing caution to the wind.

Explosivity defines his career

‘The heir of Di Maria’ struggled to hold down a place in the team though, despite essentially doubling his minutes in 2025/26 compared to the previous two seasons. He even seemed to be on the brink of an early exit after an incident that made headlines across the world, which seemingly scarred the reputation of the player and a historic institution.

Gianluca Prestianni was accused by elite forwards Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappé of making racist remarks during a Champions League knockout play-off fixture between Benfica and Real Madrid, where play was halted for a significant period.

Prestianni denied any accusations of racism, later admitting to making a homophobic comment. After an extensive period of investigation, Prestianni received a suspension which allegedly had an impact on his exclusion from the 2026 World Cup Argentina squad.

The response from individuals at Benfica (as well as the institution itself with released statements and social media posts) was heavily condemned and should not be undervalued despite the focus on his current vein of form.

Creativity at the cost of controversy

After all the turbulence and despite the above-mentioned incident eliciting strong feelings regarding Gianluca Prestianni’s character, he has put the controversy behind him this season. His competitive mentality and footballing ability is blossoming and doing the talking for him on the pitch.

The latest PortuGOAL Figure of the Week has become a blessing for Benfica’s attack.