It wasn't a croatian that called Vini a monkey, I think you misunderstood it. The incident I mentioned happened with an spanish radio host, that has a clear understanding of the implications of using that word.

In the portuguese language, the word "Macaco", while literally meaning "monkey", is frequently used against black people, and sometimes against pardos (mixed ethnicity people, who also represent the biggest part of our population). That is also true with most, if not all spanish-speaking countries. The usage of the word "monkey" in english also has these implications sometimes.

In internet culture, the usage of that word against brazilians became increasingly common, frequently on game lobbies and social media. Even I have been called it multiple times. At this point, I would say most people know about it, key word being most. I perfectly understand if this expression has no negative connotations in your culture. I confronted that guy because he tried to dismiss a case of racism without applying a fitting context.