Gianluca Prestianni’s Phone Lock Screen Revealed Following Vinícius Júnior Incident
- Gianluca Prestianni’s phone lock screen has gone viral after the racism controversy involving Vinícius Júnior
- Vinícius activated the anti-racism protocol during Real Madrid CF’s clash with S.L. Benfica, later condemning the incident in a strong Instagram statement
- The resurfaced image shows Prestianni’s lock screen appearing to feature a photo of him alongside Vinícius from a previous Champions League meeting
An image of Gianluca Prestianni’s mobile phone lock screen, captured ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash between Real Madrid and Benfica, has gone viral on social media.
During the match at Estádio da Luz, Vinícius Júnior left the pitch for approximately 10 minutes after alleging he had been racially abused by Prestianni.
Source: Getty Images
The Benfica winger appeared to say something while covering his mouth with his shirt, prompting Vinícius to report the matter to referee François Letexier, who responded by making the crossed-arms gesture to activate the anti-racism protocol.
Following the final whistle, Vinícius issued a strong statement condemning the incident. “Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to put their shirts in their mouths to show how weak they are,” he wrote on Instagram.
“But they have the protection of others who, theoretically, have an obligation to punish them. Nothing that happened today is new in my life or in my team’s life.”
He continued: “I received a yellow card for celebrating a goal. I still don’t understand why. On the other hand, it was just a poorly executed protocol that served no purpose.”
Prestianni has since denied making any racist remark.
“I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults to Vini Jr, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard,” he posted on Instagram. “I was never racist with anyone and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players.”
In the aftermath of the controversy, a screenshot of Prestianni’s lock screen, originally seen in a YouTube video published on Benfica’s official channel, began circulating widely, with Brazilian outlet Olé among those highlighting it.
The footage shows Prestianni seated beside teammate Nicolás Otamendi as the squad travelled to the Azores Islands ahead of their Liga Portugal fixture against C.D. Santa Clara on 13 February.
At one point, the Argentine briefly displays his phone to the camera, and the lock screen appears to show a photograph of him alongside Vinícius from January, when Benfica and Real Madrid previously faced each other during the Champions League league phase.
Source: YEN.com.gh
