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.
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. On 11 October 2023, he was named by the British newspaper The Guardian as one of the best players born in 2006 worldwide.
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. Benfica also officially announced the transfer, with Prestianni signing a contract until 2029. His release clause was reportedly set at €100 million.
He initially played for Benfica B in the Liga Portugal 2. On 17 May 2024, he made his senior debut as a substitute in a 1–1 away draw against Rio Ave. 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.
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, alleging that Prestianni had called him "mono" ("monkey" in Spanish) on five occasions. The match 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." UEFA announced they were opening an investigation, and provisionally suspended Prestianni for Benfica's second leg against Real Madrid two days later. Prestianni told UEFA that he had not said a racial remark against Vinícius, but instead had said an "anti-gay" slur. He later said that Real Madrid players had called him racist to throw him off his game and that he had instead called Vinícius "cagón" ("coward" in Spanish) and "maricón" ("faggot" in Spanish) during their confrontation. On 24 April, UEFA handed Prestianni a six-match ban for homophobic conduct toward Vinícius, with part of the sanction being suspended.
International career Prestianni formerly represented Argentina at under-17 level. In March 2023, TNT Sports reported that Roberto Mancini had an interest in contacting Prestianni to join the Italy national team, weeks after a similar move was successfully completed for fellow Italian–Argentine Mateo Retegui.
In November 2025, Prestianni received his first call-up for the Argentina senior team for a friendly match against Angola. He debuted in the match against Angola on 14 November.
Prestianni was left out of the Argentinia squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup; according to international press, the accusations of racism against Real Madrid's striker Vinícius Júnior and the three-match ban imposed by UEFA for homophobia were determinant for his absence.
Personal life Born and raised in Argentina, Prestianni is of Italian descent.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsVélez Sarsfield2022Argentine Primera División5000—10—602023Argentine Primera División31221———333Total36221—10—393Benfica B2023–24Liga Portugal 261————612024–25Liga Portugal 251————51Total112————112Benfica2023–24Primeira Liga1000000000102024–25Primeira Liga80210000401412025–26Primeira Liga293202070104132026–27Primeira Liga75000053—128Total4584120123506812Career total921262201335011817
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsArgentina202510202621Total31
Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Prestianni goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Gianluca Prestianni No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition 1 3 October 2026 Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina 3 3–0 7–0 Friendly
Honours Benfica Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2025
References
External links