Pep Guardiola breaks silence on Manchester City fans’ Vinicius banner on Ballon d’Or defeat | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has opened up with his thoughts – albeit limited – on Etihad Stadium fans’ pre-match banner against Real Madrid.

The Premier League champions welcomed the La Liga giants to the Etihad on Tuesday night hoping to gain an advantage before a return-leg meeting at the Santiago Bernabeu next week, as they compete in a play-off tie for a place in the last-16 of the UEFA Champions League.

While the on-field drama was always expected to be enough to write the headlines, it was the pre-match antics of Manchester City fans that created all the conversation, as they unveiled a banner directed towards Real Madrid concerning Rodri’s Ballon d’Or success last Autumn.

The Spanish international became the first defensive midfielder to win the illustrious individual award since Lothar Matthaus in 1990, denying Vinicius Jr the honour leading to uproar from the Los Blancos camp.

Real Madrid boycotted the entire ceremony in Paris such was their frustration at the voting result, snubbing prizes handed to their entire club on the night and to their head coach Carlo Ancelotti.

In direct response, Manchester City supporters put together a banner showcasing Rodri kissing his Ballon d’Or trophy, accompanied by the words ‘Stop crying your heart out’, in reference to the iconic Oasis track released in 2002.

Quizzed for his thoughts on the banner unveiled by City fans ahead of kick-off on Tuesday night, Pep Guardiola insisted that despite the size of the message, he simply did not see it within the South Stand of the Etihad Stadium.

“I didn’t see it,” Guardiola said before a journalist insisted that the banner was too big to miss.

“When they brought that out, I was inside, and I didn’t see it, and I looked for it and I didn’t see it! It wasn’t there anymore when I came out,” he continued.

Asked for his thoughts on the performance of Real Madrid’s Vinicius, Guardiola said, “Perhaps it [the pre-match banner] motivated him. He’s an extraordinary player, Vinicius.”

A similar line has since been extended by Vinicius Jr himself and manager Carlo Ancelotti after the game, in which Real Madrid snatched victory at the death despite trailing Manchester City 2-1 heading into the final exchanges.

City will travel to the Spanish capital on Tuesday evening ahead of their meeting with Real Madrid hoping to come back from a damaging defeat at the Etihad earlier this week, but will have to do so without Manuel Akanji.

The Swiss international has sustained yet another injury blow and is expected to be sidelined for several weeks, while other initial reports have indicated that his entire season is over as a result of his latest muscular problem.