Courtois backs Vinicius after racism drama surrounding the Brazilian

Los Blancos goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois claims Vini Jr’s celebration vs. Benfica in the past week’s UCL tie in Lisbon “does not justify a suspected act of racism”.

“Vinicius has never said anything like that, so I have no doubt that he heard it,” Courtois shared.

“I believe him 100%. Since Prestianni is not talking, we will never know for sure, but there is not much more that we can do.”

The match was halted for 10 minutes after the Brazilian superstar alerted official Francois Letexier to the incident.

Thibaut shared that he and his teammates were ready to “stand their ground”, but agreed to continue the match after Vini told them that he wanted to continue.

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Real Madrid goalkeeper added that it bothers him that Vini’s celebration is being used against him and that the Brazilian didn’t do anything bad, as a lot of opposition players have celebrated the same way when they scored against Los Blancos.

🚨⚠️ Thibaut Courtois: “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”. pic.twitter.com/OGg9iCUQPv

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 24, 2026