“We ride together and die together,” says Arbeloa after Vini Jr suffers alleged racist abuse | OneFootball

Álvaro Arbeloa reiterated that Real Madrid will “ride together and die together” after Vinicius Jr allegedly suffered racist abuse during los Blancos’ UEFA Champions League play-off win against Benfica.

The Brazilian scored the only goal of the game and was booked for his celebration, before Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni pulled his shirt over his mouth as the players walked back to the centre circle and called the Real Madrid forward a monkey, according to Kylian Mbappé.

Arbeloa used his press conference to take a stand against racism in football, insisting that “there has to be absolutely zero tolerance for racism.

“These things can’t happen on a football pitch in 2026,” he said, adding that “I believe what Vini told me he was called. I don’t believe that he would invent such a thing.”

“The sad thing is that this is not the first time [Vini Jr has been subjected to racism]. He’s a boy who is not only a spectacular player but also a great person, loved by everyone. As soon as you get to know him, you quickly realise what a good person he is and how many times he has had to fight against situations like this.

“He has always been a fighter, he will continue to be one, and we will always stand by his side.”

Play was paused for ten minutes at the Estádio da Luz after Vini Jr reported Prestianni’s alleged comments to the referee, who Arbeloa says “didn’t hear anything and couldn’t do anything in this type of situation”.

The decision, he explains, was left for Vini Jr to make – and the Real Madrid boss confirmed that “whatever he decided, we would stand with him.

“We were by his side, and whatever decision he made, we were going to stand together. We must always be by his side. We are a team, and I have always told them that we ride together and die together.

“When someone shows that kind of attitude towards one of us, we are always by their side. We are a united team and we will always fight together, as we did today.”

Prestianni denies the allegations that have been made against them, and in a statement published on his social media, he stated: “I want to clarify that in no moment did I direct racist insults at Vinicius Jr, who unfortunately misunderstood what he thought he heard.

“I was never racist to anyone,” the Benfica player added.