Kyle Walker joked that he was relieved not to have been turned into a meme after going up against Vinicius Jr for 90 minutes.
The Manchester City speedster was tasked with stopping the dangerous Real Madrid winger in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final last week at the Bernabeu. And despite the forward scoring a terrific opening goal, the Blues defender made sure it was an even contest over the course of the match to allow City to leave the stadium in a promising position.
The two players embraced at the end of the contest in what was widely praised as a nice sporting moment after such a battle between the pair. Walker wanted to give Vinicius credit, but had also been alarmed when the Brazilian tried to flick the ball over his head.
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"I went to hug him because he tried to rainbow flick me, so it was like 'please don’t try that again, I don't want to be a meme or anything!'" said Walker. "Boxers fight and have a good battle and then shake hands after and that is the respect I do have for him.
"When it is a good game, you go and show them that respect because they deserve it. They are carrying a lot of pressure on their shoulders to take a massive club over the line in the Champions League.
"They've not done well in their league and this is the last prize they have to go and win. You show them respect. Tomorrow night if chosen, I will give him the respect he deserves after the whistle, but before then it is dog-eat-dog."
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