Álvaro Arbeloa reiterated that Real Madrid will "ride together and die together" after Vinicius Jr allegedly suffered racist abuse during their UEFA Champions League play-off win against Benfica. The Brazilian scored the only goal before Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni allegedly called him a monkey, according to Kylian Mbappé.
Arbeloa expressed zero tolerance for racism, stating: "He's a boy who is not only a spectacular player but also a great person." Play was paused for ten minutes after Vini reported the alleged comments. Prestianni denies the allegations, claiming Vini Jr "misunderstood what he thought he heard."