Real Madrid won the first leg of the first leg of the play-off Real Madrid secured a Champions League victory at Benfica's stadium thanks to a brilliant goal from Vinícius (0-1). The Brazilian was once again the center of attention, both for his skill and the controversy that usually surrounds him. After scoring the opening goal in the 50th minute, he went to celebrate in the corner with his usual exuberance, prompting criticism from Benfica fans. It was at that moment that Vinícius reported a racist insult from Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni, which immediately triggered the anti-racism protocol and forced the match to be stopped for almost 10 minutes. According to Vinícius, the Benfica player hurled a racist insult at him while he was celebrating the goal in front of the stands, although the Argentine covered his mouth with his shirt. Prestianni, however, vehemently denied the allegations and claimed he had received threats from Real Madrid players. Mbappé backed up his teammate's version of events after the match: "I've seen him call Vinícius a 'monkey' five times. He's a racist, he doesn't deserve to ever play in the Champions League again," he exclaimed.

The main stars of the Real Madrid and Barça finished the match like neighborhood braggarts, who gave a lamentable image, with the police cordoning off the Real Madrid bench. Now we'll get a glimpse of images of who started it and who said what to whom, but no one can spare us the shame. A collective reflection is urgently needed that focuses on the testosterone-fueled behavior of footballers and those around them, including the media. The "Let's see who has the most balls" trend must be denounced as an example of toxic masculinity at its finest.

"Reality check," is the headline given by several media outlets following the news from the Whites. This is the feeling in Madrid after losing 4-0 to Luis Enrique's PSG.. Xabi Alonso, who in a few weeks had managed to establish himself as the savior, was harshly criticized by the Spanish press after a thrashing that leaves them without a chance of playing in the Club World Cup final, which will be played between Chelsea and PSG.