Gianluca Prestianni
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gianluca Prestianni Gross[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 31 January 2006[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Ciudadela, Buenos Aires, Argentina | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Winger | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Benfica | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 25 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| Vélez Sarsfield | |||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022–2024 | Vélez Sarsfield | 36 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Benfica B | 11 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Benfica | 27 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Argentina U17 | 8 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Argentina U20 | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Argentina | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 22:37, 13 February 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:04, 14 November 2025 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||
Gianluca Prestianni Gross (born 31 January 2006) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a winger for Primeira Liga club Benfica and the Argentina national team.[2]
Club career
Vélez Sarsfield
On 24 May 2022, Prestianni made his professional debut for Vélez Sarsfield in the Copa Libertadores in a match against Estudiantes.[3][4] On 11 October 2023, he was named by the British newspaper The Guardian as one of the best players born in 2006 worldwide.[5]
Benfica
On 22 December 2023, Vélez announced that they had reached an agreement with Portuguese club Benfica for the sale of Prestianni. The transfer fee was reported to be €9 million, with up to €2 million in add-ons, and involved 85% of his economic rights. However, the contract was set to be completed only after Prestianni's eighteenth birthday on 31 January 2024.[6] Benfica also officially announced the transfer, with Prestianni signing a contract until 2029.[2] His release clause was reportedly set at €100 million.[7]
He initially played for Benfica B in the Liga Portugal 2.[8] On 17 May 2024, he made his senior debut as a substitute in a 1–1 away draw against Rio Ave.[9] He scored his first goal for the club in a 5–0 away win over Tirsense in the Taça de Portugal semi-final on 9 April 2025.[10]
International career
Prestianni has represented Argentina at under-17 level.[11] In March 2023, TNT Sports reported that Roberto Mancini had an interest in contacting Prestianni to join the Italy national football team, weeks after a similar move was successfully completed for fellow Italian–Argentine Mateo Retegui.[12][13]
In November 2025, Prestianni received his first call-up for the Argentina senior team for a friendly match against Angola.[14] He debuted in the match against Angola on 14 November.[15]
Personal life
Born and raised in Argentina, Prestianni is of Italian descent.[16]
Allegations of racism
On 17 February 2026, the Champions League knockout phase play-offs tie game between Benfica and Real Madrid was temporarily halted for 10 minutes, after Real Madrid player Vinícius Júnior alleged that Prestianni had directed racist remarks toward him.[17] Vinícius scored and celebrated by the corner flag. He was subsequently booked for excessive celebration. A confrontation between players followed.[18] During this confrontation, Prestianni covered his mouth with his shirt and allegedly said "mono" ("monkey" in spanish) on five occasions.[19] Following the altercation Vinícius approached match referee François Letexier and reported the incident, with Letexier pausing the game.[20] It eventually resumed and finished in a 1–0 home defeat, with Prestianni stating post-match that Vinícius had "regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard."[21] UEFA announced the day after the incident they were opening an investigation to "investigate allegations of discriminatory behaviour."[22]
On 23 February, UEFA provisionally suspended Prestianni for Benfica's second leg against Real Madrid two days later. Prestianni reportedly told UEFA that he had not said a racial remark against Vinícius, but instead had said an "anti-gay" slur. Prestianni faces up to a ten match suspension if he is found guilty by UEFA.[23] Benfica president Rui Costa defended Prestianni, stating that "I guarantee that he is not a racist player, otherwise he wouldn’t represent Benfica" and said that the club would "stand by Prestianni".[24] Benfica manager José Mourinho, whose initial response to the allegations were criticized, said that if Prestianni was found guilty by UEFA that his career playing for him and at the club would be "over".[25][26]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 17 February 2026[27]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Vélez Sarsfield | 2022 | Argentine Primera División | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[c] | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2023 | Argentine Primera División | 31 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 33 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 36 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 39 | 3 | ||||
| Benfica B | 2023–24 | Liga Portugal 2 | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | ||||
| 2024–25 | Liga Portugal 2 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | |||||
| Total | 11 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 11 | 2 | ||||||
| Benfica | 2023–24 | Primeira Liga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024–25 | Primeira Liga | 8 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[d] | 0 | 14 | 1 | |
| 2025–26 | Primeira Liga | 18 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7[e] | 0 | 1[f] | 0 | 30 | 2 | |
| Total | 27 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 45 | 3 | ||
| Career total | 74 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 95 | 8 | ||
- ^ Includes Copa Argentina, Taça de Portugal
- ^ Includes Taça da Liga
- ^ Appearance in Copa Libertadores
- ^ Appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
- ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- ^ Appearance in Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira
Honours
- Benfica: Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2025[28]
References
- ^ a b c "FIFA Club World Cup 25 − Squad List: SL Benfica (POR)" (PDF). FIFA. 12 June 2025. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Prestianni reforça o Benfica". SL Benfica (in Portuguese). 31 January 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- ^ "Vélez Sarsfield vs. Estudiantes". Soccerway. Platform Group. 25 May 2022.
- ^ "Gianluca Prestianni, el juvenil que se peleó con Brasil y se metió en la historia de Vélez Sarsfield". TyC Sports (in Spanish). 24 May 2022.
- ^ Christenson, Marcus; Bloor, Steven; Blight, Garry (11 October 2023). "Next Generation 2023: 60 of the best young talents in world football". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- ^ "Vélez detalha negócio com o Benfica por Gianluca Prestianni" [Vélez details deal with Benfica for Gianluca Prestianni]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 22 December 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
- ^ "Mercado Benfica: Prestianni: o senhor €100 milhões" [Benfica Market: Prestianni: Mister €100 million]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 31 January 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
- ^ "Prestianni na posição 10: como foi a estreia do argentino no Benfica B e a análise de Nelson Veríssimo" (in Portuguese). Record. 9 March 2024.
- ^ "SOURCES: Benfica Forward Gianluca Prestianni Has Offers From Holland". Yahoo Sports. 17 June 2024.
- ^ "Benfica Crush Tirsense 5-0 in First Leg of Taça de Portugal Semifinals". beIN SPORTS. 9 April 2025.
- ^ "Le provocazioni dei giovani brasiliani che hanno scatenato la lotta con la squadra argentina dopo la finale del torneo U17 a Montaigu". Infobae (in Italian). 18 April 2022.
- ^ "Prestianni, LA 'Piccola Pulce' Che Potrebbe Seguire Retegui in Nazionale". Cronache di Spogliatoio (in Italian). 28 March 2023.
- ^ "Los cuatro argentinos que sigue Roberto Mancini tras la convocatoria de Retegui". TNT Sports (in Spanish). 28 March 2023.
- ^ Gonçalves, Marco (6 November 2025). "Prestianni estreia-se nos convocados da seleção principal da Argentina" [Prestianni makes his debut in the Argentina national team squad call-up]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). Global Media Group. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
- ^ "Los cuatro jugadores que debutaron en la selección argentina en el último amistoso del año ante Angola". Infobae (in Spanish). 14 November 2025. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
- ^ Bernabei, Simone (24 March 2023). "Da Capaldo e Valentini a Maestro Puch: tutti gli oriundi nel mirino di Mancini per l'Italia". TuttoMercatoWeb (in Italian). Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- ^ "Benfica vs Real Madrid halted for 10 minutes after Vinicius Jr racism allegation following incident with Gianluca Prestianni". Sky Sports. 18 February 2026.
- ^ "Vinicius earns Real Madrid 1-0 win at Benfica in match marred by racism row". Al Jazeera. 17 February 2026.
- ^ Lowe, Sid (18 February 2026). "Vinícius Júnior takes aim at racist 'cowards' after Benfica's defeat by Real Madrid". The Guardian.
- ^ "UEFA investigating alleged racist abuse directed at Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior". Sky News. 17 February 2026. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
- ^ "Real Madrid tie halted over Vinicius racism allegation". BBC Sport. 17 February 2026.
- ^ "UEFA to 'investigate allegations of discriminatory behaviour' after Vinicius Junior's racism claims during Benfica v Real Madrid". TNT Sports. 18 February 2026.
- ^ "Gianluca Prestianni provisionally suspended for Benfica's second leg tie with Real Madrid". ESPN. 23 February 2026. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ^ Imber, Leon (24 February 2026). "Benfica president Rui Costa insists Gianluca Prestianni 'not racist' and club will 'stand by' him". The Athletic. The New York Times. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
- ^ "Vinicius Junior 'repulsed' by Jose Mourinho's response to accusation of racial abuse against Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni". Fox Sports. Fox Broadcasting Company. 20 February 2026. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
- ^ Lang, Jack; Millar (2 March 2026). "Jose Mourinho says Gianluca Prestianni's Benfica career 'over' if alleged racist abuse proven". The Athletic. The New York Times. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
- ^ Gianluca Prestianni at Soccerway
- ^ "Águia letal na hora de levar a Supertaça". S.L. Benfica (in Portuguese). 1 August 2025. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
External links
- Gianluca Prestianni at Soccerway