Pep Guardiola instructed Walker in the first leg to be the primary kicker against Vinicius’ speed. The Brazilian striker did not play as aggressively as usual before Walker’s interception, but he opened the scoring in the 36th minute with a мιꜱꜱιlе sҺоt from outside the box. After the game, Walker chuckled, engaged Vinicius in conversation, and even embraced him.
Before today’s rematch at the Etihad Stadium, Walker joked that he had sent a warning to the Real Madrid striker through this embrace.
“I went to hug Vinicius because he was trying to get the ball over my head,” the English defender said in a pre-game press conference on May 16. “I told you not to do it because I don’t want to be ridiculed on social media. We had a nice fιɡҺt, and I hold Vinicius in high regard. After winning such a match, you must demonstrate your prowess. However, this will end when the referee blows the whistle to commence the game tomorrow.”
On May 9, the first leg of the Champions League semi-final was played at the Bernabeu. The game ended in a 1-1 tie. Walker (right) and Vinicius (center) shared a joyous moment after the game.
With 23 goals and 21 assists across 53 appearances across all competitions, Vinicius has been one of the best players in Europe this season. He has played in all of their games. The Brazilian attacker was also known for his deft dribbling and technical skills, which gave the other team’s defender a “Һоt” feeling on multiple occasions.
Walker, however, is not concerned by how the 22-year-old attacker plays the game and emphasizes the fаϲt that he has dealt with more severe problems while out on the pitch. He stated, “I would not that Vinicius has a provocative play,” and he meant it. Vinicius, on the other hand, is a competent player who contributes in the ways that are required to assist the home team. I do my best to ignore folks who are intentionally trying to aggravate me or who ꜱay meaningless things.
Walker is optimistic that he will be able to hold Vinicius in check just like he did when he competed against Kylian Mbappe in the quarterfinals of the World Cup 2022 match between England and France. Mbappe passed away on that day, but France was able to come away with a 2-1 victory courtesy of Olivier Giroud and Aurelien Tchouameni. If I can’t go head-to-head with these elite players, I have no business being here.” Walker stated, “I need to make sure that I’m competing against the best and that I’m able to deal with the best.”