Around nine months ago, Argentine Gianluca Prestianni found himself at the heart of a global footballing storm, after Vinicius Junior accused him of directing racist abuse at him during a Champions League encounter.

How things have changed. The Benfica winger has shifted the spotlight firmly onto his football, and his name now crops up at the table of Europe's major clubs, with estimates that his value could hit record levels.

Since that incident in February 2026, Prestianni has become one of Benfica's standout figures. He has shaken off the episode's impact on his career and rebuilt his standing on the pitch, drawing interest from some of the continent's biggest clubs.

His latest flourish came against Estrela Amadora last Sunday. He curled a superb strike into the top corner to help seal Benfica's win, with Famés adding another goal.

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Striking numbers boost Priestani's stock

The numbers back it up. The Argentine winger scored 7 goals and provided 4 assists in the Portuguese league this season, adding 5 goals and two assists in the Europa League, according to the Spanish newspaper Sport.

His brilliance with Benfica brought more than goals. Those numbers caught the eye of Lionel Scaloni, who handed him a place in the Argentina squad for the current international break and the two friendlies against Uruguay and Costa Rica.

Prestianni had already made his mark in the previous window, scoring and setting up a goal against Burkina Faso. Now he wants to nail down his place and prove he can shine against stronger opposition.

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A leap in market value: interest from Paris and Bayern

Prestianni's market value has climbed by around 240% since the February 2026 incident, a reflection of how far he has come at Benfica.

Some Argentine media now reckon the Portuguese club could cash in on the player this summer for a fee close to 100 million euros.

"Record na Hora" claimed that the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich could move to sign him on the back of his form. It makes the 20-year-old one of the names tipped to light up the summer window.

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Vinicius Junior, by contrast, saw his level dip across the same period. He finished last season with 22 goals and 14 assists in all competitions, yet the current campaign tells a different story. One goal and three assists in his first eight matches told the tale. His expected goals rate dropped from 1.05 to 0.59 per 90 minutes, and his shots on target rate fell from 1.49 to 0.83, according to statistics cited by Opta and Squawka.

Those figures lay bare a clear decline in the Brazilian's attacking output. Critics have rounded on him for the slump, and the team have improved markedly without him, following his four-match suspension for the red card against Villarreal.

The contrast ran deeper than their differing technical trajectories. It reached their market values too. Prestianni's value has climbed around 240% since the February 2026 incident. Vinicius Junior's, meanwhile, dropped from 150 million euros to 130 million, according to data from "Transfermarkt", a loss of 20 million euros, or 13.3%, a striking divergence between the two.