Kyle Walker has revealed he warned Vinicius Junior not to attempt a rainbow flick against him again when he embraced the Real Madrid star after the final whistle following last week’s Champions League semi-final first leg.
The pair were involved in a titanic duel at the Bernabeu last week which saw the England defender just about hold his own against one of the most devastating wingers in world football on current form.
Although the Brazil international opened the scoring with a sensational effort, Walker fared better than many right-backs who have come up against the 22-year-old recently.
Kevin De Bruyne’s equaliser has put City in the box seat ahead of tomorrow night’s return fixture, but whoever comes out on top in the tussle between Walker and Vinicius will go a long way to determining which side progresses to the final next month in Istanbul.
Asked why he hugged his opponent last week, Walker said: ‘I went to hug him because he tried to rainbow me, so it was like ‘please don’t try that again’.
Vinicius Junior scored Real Madrid’s goal in last week’s first leg (Picture: Getty)
‘But boxers fight and shake hands after and that is the respect I do have for him, when it is a good game, you show them that respect because they deserve it.
‘He has taken a massive club like that over the line in the Champions League. Tomorrow night, if chosen, I will give him the respect he deserves after the whistle, before that it is dog eat dog .’
Vinicius has, on occasion, been accused of deliberately provoking opposition players but Walker insists his outrageous display of skill last week wasn’t an example of showboating.
He said: ‘I wouldn’t say he’s a provocative player, he’s a very good player, he does what he has to to get his side over the line.
‘I try not to get involved if someone is trash talking, I have been through things in my life that are more difficult than people trying to get a reaction on me.
‘People going down and asking for yellow cards is part and parcel of the game.’
