Manchester City's coach, Pep Guardiola, has been instructing his team on how to handle Vinicius Junior in front of Wednesday's game. It may come down to half a meter in certain circumstances, especially with Kyle Walker. That's saying a lot, considering Vinicius is the type of guy who can go 80 meters in a flash. In a single devastating blow, that half meter becomes totally meaningless. After all, Walker did just describe how Vinicius tried to "rainbow-flick" him in the first leg, so he knows all too well.

After the game, the fullback implored Vinicius, "Please don't try that again," as they hugged each other. "I don't want to become a meme."

City is now even lower than it was when the Brazilian first decreased it. What transpired in this matchup last year encapsulated many of the themes of the most recent Champions League, and that was before Real Madrid staged their incredible comeback in the second leg. Before anybody else in the City stadium even noticed, Vinicius turned on a ball, leaving Fernandinho nutmegged as he sought to respond to the occasion and yet another of Guardiola's unexpected tactical moves in Europe. After then, everyone saw the city manager collapse to the ground, hands over his head. What Guardiola had warned his squad about had transpired, demonstrating in an instant the depth of his emotions about the situation.

When Vinicius slashed through the City defense and slotted in the coolest of finishes, all Guardiola could feel was pain.

However, that goal that made the score 3-2 was not the only pivotal point in that game. It was a turning point in Vinicius's professional life. Many members of the Madrid squad believe he reached a new level after scoring that goal, proving he had more than "just pace" as critics had said.

This was a star completely in command of the destructive power he has. This was reinforced by the game-winning goal scored in the Champions League final versus Liverpool. The stunning goal scored last week versus City only capped off the development.

The strike's aggressive character matched its rapid tempo. It was a performer at the peak of his abilities. In this semi-final, it was also the game-changer.

Although a case can be made for Vinicius's superiority over both Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne, this is not to suggest that he is the better player. Walker called the Brazilian "one of the best players in the world" who is currently "in the best form of his life." Vinicius wants to be in that position, and he plans to get there.

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More importantly, Vinicius's physical characteristics make him the match's central gravitational force.

Even if City wins the majority of possession, Vinicius will have a greater impact on the game's overall form. This is due to the fact that we anticipate Guardiola's team to exert overwhelming control of play within a 30-yard radius of Madrid's goal for the great portion of the match. Once again, Carlo Ancelotti will be willing to concede that, since he is well aware that a single Vinicius run can propel the entire game 80 meters across the field in a matter of seconds. That will keep happening over and over. The heat map of the game will seem like a halo surrounding Madrid's penalty area, with spikes protruding in all directions to get everyone on their feet.

This is something of which Guardiola is very aware. This is especially noticeable because City's main vulnerability this season has been on the wing areas where they have been given too much room.

Vinicius weaves together several threads without breaking stride. Walker's analogy to preparing for Kylian Mbappe at the World Cup makes sense.

The wingback remarked, "We have to show him a level of respect." Just as with Mbappe, you have to treat him with the utmost respect, but you can't just let him go through the defense and score.

Vinicius is aware of this. This is why a Vinicius rampage is now one of the most fantastic sights in football; he has a wide variety of tricks at his disposal to annihilate opponents, including moving around them and flipping the ball over them.

That's simply another manner in which he's similar to Mbappe; the two both want to win the World Cup. Some Madrid residents have even longer tenures than that. They think he's the finest of both Ronaldos in one package. Both he and his Brazilian predecessor had devastating speeds and explosive dribbling. Then there's Cristiano, who is incredibly self-disciplined, especially when it comes to his fitness. After Tuesday's first leg, like he does after every night game, Vinicius went to a physio session. He knows that muscle damage may become an issue quite quickly in a professional athlete's career, and he doesn't want to take any chances. The same goes for his nutrition, which is meticulously planned and executed by a permanent staff of chefs.

The 22-year-old has professed, "I want to be the best." As in, "not a runner-up."

He's been known to say some pretty cocky things on the field, but that's just to get under his opponents' skin. Walker mentioned his "trash-talking" and how City should disregard it.

Vinicius considers it all fair play. He's a major factor in this whole thing. His tempo greatly affects the outcome.