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·24 February 2026
Real Madrid star labels Benfica fans ‘pathetic’

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·24 February 2026

Real Madrid star Thibaut Courtois has on Tuesday taken aim at sections of the fanbase of upcoming opponents Benfica.
This comes owing to the behaviour of the supporters in question a week ago.
Real Madrid of course made the trip to Lisbon this day last week, for the first leg of their Champions League playoff tie with Benfica.
When all was said and done, the visitors emerged on the right side of a hard-fought 1-0 result.
Along the way, however, controversy reigned…
Amid tense scenes at the Estádio da Luz, Benfica star Gianluca Prestianni was accused of racially abusing Vinícius Jr.
Not only that, but groups of home fans were caught on camera, making blatantly racist gestures towards Real Madrid’s match-winner.
And it was precisely this group of ‘fans’ who were the target of a round of insulting comments on the part of the aforementioned Thibaut Courtois on Tuesday.
On the eve of the return leg clash between the clubs, shot-stopper Courtois explained:
“I saw videos of Benfica fans doing awful gestures in the stadium, it was really pathetic. I don’t know if Benfica will punish them or not, but it was really pathetic.”
Conor Laird – GSFN









































