Former Real Madrid midfielder Wesley Sneijder was not happy when Benfica defender Nicolas Otamendi showed off his tattoos from the 2022 FIFA World Cup to Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior during the Champions League clash on Tuesday.
The incident occurred after Vinicius scored the first goal with a beautiful curved shot five minutes into the second half of the game in Lisbon.
The Brazilian player celebrated his goal exuberantly, which drew reactions from the Benfica players.
Otamendi was caught on camera showing off his World Cup-winning tattoos during the confrontation, but Sneijder criticized the Argentine, saying he behaved like a child.
He said, “This Otamendi guy, is he okay in the head? His behavior was really childish, and he was actually losing when he did that. If I were Vini, I’d let him know that the World Cup you’re bragging about, Messi was the one who won it, not you, and you had nothing to do with it.
“To do it to a Madrid player, who has won several UCLs? Is he serious?”
After Vinicius scored and celebrated, Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni covered his mouth with his shirt and appeared to make a racial comment toward the Brazilian, which caused the match to be halted for 10 minutes.
When the game resumed, Vinicius was hit by an object thrown by fans. Los Blancos managed to win by a narrow margin, a crucial result ahead of their return match in Madrid on February 25.
