Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde appeared in a press statement following the victory over Benfica in the first leg of the playoff qualifying for the Champions League round of 16, at the "Estádio da Luz".

Valverde said about Prestianni's insult to Vinicius: "We don't know what he said, but all his nearby teammates heard very obscene words. Many have fought against racism, and Vinicius is one of them. It's unfortunate that with all these cameras, it wasn't recorded... If he covered his mouth to say something... We are proud of Vinicius and his outstanding performance."

He added, "The insult is very serious. This has happened many times before. As colleagues, we have to help and support him. I doubt there isn't a camera that captured what happened."

He continued: "We will seek qualification in front of our fans. We took an important step today. We achieved a positive result, especially after the loss in the league stage. We are excited to be at the top of La Liga, but we must continue to work and fight."

He added: "Vinicius and Mbappe helped us a lot in defense and delivered some great plays."

He concluded: "If we all ran a little to press, recover the ball, and defend... it would be much easier. In everything."