"José Mourinho is the only coach who has earned Florentino's respect". The phrase is often commented on in hallway conversations in Madrid whenever there are problems with the current coach of the white club. And it is that, despite the fact that the Portuguese's record during his time at the Bernabéu was relatively scarce – one League, one Cup and one Super Cup in three seasons – he was one of the few who dared to confront the president and refuse to make the lineups they wanted from the box.

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.