Thierry Henry's Emotional Speech After Vinicius Junior Racism Allegation
Thierry Henry has delivered a powerful and emotional defence of Vinicius Junior following allegations that the Real Madrid forward was racially abused during a Champions League match against Benfica. The incident occurred during Tuesday night's play-off first leg in Portugal, where Vinicius scored the game's only goal with a curling strike into the top corner.
The Alleged Incident and Immediate Fallout
After celebrating his goal with teammates by the corner flag, Vinicius was booked for excessive celebration. Moments later, just before Benfica restarted the game, the Brazilian winger reported alleged racist abuse to referee Francois Letexier. Vinicius specifically accused Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni, who was seen putting his shirt over his mouth during the exchange.
The match was suspended for approximately ten minutes before resuming, with Real Madrid ultimately securing a 1-0 victory. Prestianni has since denied the allegations through social media, stating: "I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults at the player Vinicius Junior, who unfortunately misinterpreted what he thought he heard." He added that he has never been racist and expressed regret over threats received from Real Madrid players.
Benfica shared Prestianni's statement with the comment: "Together, by your side."
Henry's Passionate Response on CBS Sports
During CBS Sports' coverage of the incident, Thierry Henry spoke with visible emotion about the allegations. "I can relate to what Vinicius is going through," Henry began. "That happened to me so many times on the pitch. I talked about it so many times after games. I've also been accused of looking for excuses after games when that happened to me. At times, you feel lonely, because it's going to be your word against his word."
Henry pointed to Prestianni's actions as particularly suspicious. "We don't know what Prestianni has said, because he was very courageous by putting his shirt over his mouth to make sure that we weren't going to see what he said, so clearly, already, you look suspicious. Because you didn't want people to see or read what you said."
The former Arsenal and Barcelona star emphasized that Vinicius's reaction was telling. "Then, the reaction of Vinicius is telling me that something not right happened. We still don't know what was said. Vinicius can tell us his side, and Prestianni, I'm sure, will not tell us what he actually said, because I saw at one point Kylian Mbappe confront him, and he said, 'I didn't say anything'. Well, he must have said something at the very least."
A Broader Problem in Modern Football
Henry expressed frustration that such incidents continue to overshadow football achievements. "You feel like you don't know what to do anymore. We're in 2026 and still after a game like that, where we're supposed to talk about his brilliant goal, we shouldn't be having to deal with the referee telling you to not go to the corner flag, because that will incite the crowd."
He questioned why players should be restricted in their movements on the pitch due to potential crowd reactions. "It's a corner, can he not take a corner? He can't go there to take a corner just because people are thinking whatever they're thinking. Suddenly he becomes a victim. I can relate. I can assure you, when that happens, you don't know what to do anymore."
Henry recalled Vinicius's previous experiences with racism in Spain, noting how the player's responses have evolved. "He tried to walk out in Spain one time, and another time, he tried to kick someone back because he'd had enough. Now he went to see the referee to tell him what happened. I've been there. The referee also told me he couldn't do anything about it."
A Direct Challenge to Prestianni
In a pointed challenge, Henry called for transparency from the Benfica player. "Let's see how big of a man Prestianni is. Tell us what you said. You must have said something, because you can't go to Mbappe and say, 'I didn't say anything'. What do you mean, you covered your nose for what, you have a cold?"
Fellow pundit Micah Richards was equally vocal during the CBS Sports discussion, labelling Prestianni a "coward" for his alleged actions and subsequent denial.
The incident has sparked renewed debate about racism in football, with Henry's emotional testimony highlighting the personal toll such allegations take on players and the ongoing challenges in addressing discrimination within the sport.
