Don't try that with me — Kyle Walker explains why he embraced Vinicius

Manchester City defender Kyle Walker has explained the reason behind his warm but surprising embrace with Vinicius Junior after the Champions League semifinal first leg clash against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.

Walker revealed that he had during the game warned the sensational Brazilian star after he attempted to rainbow-flick him.

The battle between the two was one of the highlights of the night as City held Real to a share of the spoils following a 1-1 draw.

After the game at the Bernabeu, Walker and Vinicius were spotted sharing a hug with both players amused at the same time.

The 32-year-old has now provided an explanation for the surprising hug ahead of the decisive second leg tie at the Etihad on Wednesday.

According to the English international, he warned the Real star during the game he didn’t want to become a meme following an audacious rainbow-flick attempt.

'Well I went to hug him because he tried to rainbow flick me,” Walker said during his pre-match press conference. “It was more to say don’t try that because I don’t want to become a meme.”

“We had a good battle, I have a lot of respect for him,” he added per Daily Mail. “It's when it has been a good game, a good battle, and at the end of it, you show your respect.”

With a lot at stake in the second leg, the former Tottenham star added that the smiles will stop.

“When the whistle goes tomorrow though, that goes out of the window, and it’s dog eat dog,” he concluded.

Walker vs Vinicius will be another interesting battle to watch out for when City host Los Blancos in the game that will determine which team makes it to the Champions League final.

Walker needs to be extra vigilant to stop the 22-year-old who has 23 goals and 21 assists in 53 games all season and also scored a screamer in the first leg in this fixture.