Vinícius Júnior set the Benfica match alight, one stat is shocking football | OneFootball

The name of Vinícius Júnior has once again come into the spotlight after Real Madrid’s victory over Benfica at Estádio da Luz. The Brazilian forward scored a great goal and danced at the corner flag, receiving a yellow card. This was followed by a tense atmosphere on the pitch, with Benfica players getting involved in verbal confrontations with the athlete.

After a heated exchange with Gianluca Prestianni, Vinícius claimed he was called “mono” (monkey in Spanish). The episode reignited the discussion around cases of racism associated with the player, who has already faced 20 such incidents since arriving in Europe from Flamengo in 2018.

The first recorded case occurred on October 4, 2021, in an El Clásico at Camp Nou, when a fan shouted racist insults at the Brazilian. In March 2022, Mallorca fans imitated monkeys and shouted “go pick bananas,” but Spanish justice considered the insults despicable but without criminal relevance. In September that year, controversial statements on the program El Chiringuito and chants from Atlético de Madrid fans once again brought the issue to the forefront.

The first punishments came at the end of 2022, after insults from Real Valladolid fans — five people were convicted of hate crimes in May 2025. In January 2023, a doll wearing a Vinícius shirt was found hanging from a bridge in Madrid, leading to the conviction of those responsible. The most high-profile case occurred on May 21, 2023, at the Mestalla Stadium, where the player confronted the stands after new insults; three Valencia fans were convicted in 2024.

The episodes continued in 2024, including offensive chants before a Champions League match between Atlético de Madrid and Inter Milan, as well as new incidents in 2025 and 2026, notably against Real Sociedad and Albacete. In total, since arriving in Madrid, 18 fans have already been sentenced to prison, fines, or bans from sports venues for racial insults directed at the Brazilian international.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.