One of the enduring images from Manchester City's Champions League showdown with Real Madrid last week was the embrace between Kyle Walker and Vinicius Jr at the end.
The smiling pair came together at the final whistle at the Bernabeu, high-fiving and then sharing a hug, which showcased their mutual respect after their epic personal battle.
The absorbing contest between the duo will be another tantalising subplot again in Wednesday's return leg, with England star Walker revealing the real reason he sought out his opponent.
“I went to hug him because he tried to rainbow flick me,” said Walker. “So it was kind of like 'please don’t try that again, I don't want to be a meme'.
"But boxers fight, have a good battle and then they shake hands after, and that's the level of respect I have for him. It's the same with any other player - when it's a good game, you go and give them that level of respect because they deserve it.
"You show your respect, but there's no respect after the first whistle. I'll give him the respect he deserves after the final whistle, but before then it's dog-eat-dog.
“You're not going to say 'go on, walk through and score'. I'm representing Manchester City, a massive football club and the ambition for this club is massive. If I can’t compete with these top players from Real Madrid, Paris St Germain or whoever, I shouldn’t be here.
“I need to make sure I come against the best and I can deal with the best.”
Vinicius may be 10 years younger, but Walker remains one of the fastest players around, hitting a top speed of 35.2 kmph in the Champions League this season – faster than his younger Real Madrid rival.
“I'm 32, but I'm not old,” smiled Walker. “I still feel great, I still feel fit, bar the injury where I ruptured my groin before the World Cup.
“I make sure I do the work in the gym to make sure my muscles can cope with the load I put on them.
“Some players start to slow down, but one of the lads in sports science said I hit 37.5kmph the other day, so I don't seem to be getting any slower.”
At 32 and with a year left on his contract, time is running out for Walker to add the Champions League to a CV that already boasts four Premier League titles, four League Cups and one FA Cup.
But he feels the heartache City have been through in Europe in recent seasons – losing in the final, the semi-finals and agonising exits on away goals - have steeled them to go all the way this year.
“We'd like to have done it when we first got to the final against Chelsea, but we were below par that day and it's a learning curve,” said Walker.
“This group of players have been together for a number of years, where we have been able to overcome situations, where we've been in winning positions and losing positions.
“I remember the one against Tottenham where we thought Sergio Aguero had scored, we thought we were almost through and they went up the other end and scored.
“So we've had rough moments and good moments. Hopefully, this is the icing on the cake where we can go and put our name in the history books for this club.”
