Prestianni-Vini Case: Sporting’s Suspicious Silence?

Jesé Rodriguez, former Sporting player (2019/2002), defended Vinícius Júnior from criticism about his behavior on the field, when commenting on the recent episode with Gianlucca Prestianni, at Benfica-Real Madrid, whom he accused of calling him a monkey. «I don’t think Vinícius is going to start a circus because he wants to. If I told you something, it’s because it was true”, he commented, adding that the act of covering the mouth “is very suspicious”.

For the Las Palmas player, it is necessary to understand the pressure to which the Brazilian is subject: «He is very good. It’s not easy. There are certain behaviors that can be tolerated and you need to be in his place, the blows he endures, the insults… It’s not easy», he said in an interview with Cadena SER.

The former Lion, who joined the Real Madrid academy in 2006 and stayed there until 2016, spoke about José Mourinho’s possible return to Real Madrid’s technical command. “That could be,” he said, praising the Portuguese coach, returning to his defense of Prestianni, when mentioning that Vinícius was provocative. «Mou is very Mou. You have to defend your team. He’s a good guy. With me, sparks flew, but over time I learned a lot», he confessed. The player also believes that Arbeloa «has a good future as a coach» and that he is doing a good job, noting «people are happier».

Asked about Real Madrid’s future in the Champions League, particularly when it comes to the clash with Benfica, Jesé was optimistic. “Madrid is improving. I see you better than I did a month ago. It can pass,” he said.

The Spanish striker also compared his former colleagues, Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa, who are now pursuing a coaching career. Jesé believes that both already demonstrated that they had a talent for the role. «On a daily basis you could see that they were going to be good coaches due to the way they pressured, gave information, corrected tactically», he recalled, before making a distinction between the two: «Álvaro has a more pronounced personality than Xabi, more bad temper, worse to lose».

Currently at Las Palmas, Jesé spoke about the objective of the promotion. «The team came down from Primeira and we will try to get back up with humility and game by game», he explained, asking for calm despite the recent bad phase. «We are not going through a good time, but let panic not set in. A victory changes everything», he concluded.