“I don’t know who voted” - Thierry Henry says Real Madrid superstar should’ve won POTM award ahead of Kevin De Bruyne

Former Barcelona striker Thierry Henry believes Real Madrid's Vinicus Junior should have won the Player of the Match award in their UEFA Champions League clash against Manchester City. Kevin De Bruyne was officially adjudged to be the winner of the award on Tuesday, May 9.

The first leg of the semi-final clash between the two sides ended in a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu. Vinicius Jr. opened the scoring for Los Blancos around the half-hour mark before De Bruyne restored parity for the visitors midway through the second half.

Other than the goal, the Belgian midfielder won just one of his five ground duels, had an 81% passing accuracy, and completed just three of his 13 attempted crosses.

Speaking on CBS Sports, former Belgium assistant coach Thierry Henry stated that Vinicius should have won the MOTM instead. He said:

"I would give MOTM to Vinícius. De Bruyne got MOTM? Well obviously this is the difference between ex-players and I don't know who voted. You're telling me it's not Vinícius that won that? Come on."

Vinicius was excellent on the night, causing Manchester City a lot of trouble. Aside from the goal, he completed five of his 11 dribble attempts, made one key pass, won nine of his 16 ground duels, and had three attempts on goal.

Vinicius has now scored 23 goals and provided 21 assists in 51 games across competitions this season for Real Madrid.

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Carlo Ancelotti on Real Madrid's stalemate against Manchester City

Real Madrid hosted Manchester City in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final clash on Tuesday. The visitors started brilliantly, creating multiple chances but they failed to capitalize on them.

Real Madrid then found their feet in the game before Eduardo Camavinga's purposeful run found Vinicius, who scored brilliantly from outside the box. Both sides created multiple chances before Kevin De Bruyne fired a goal past his compatriot Thibaut Courtois.

After their draw against Manchester City, Carlo Ancelotti stated (via ESPN):

"[The feeling] is good. We competed, we fought and maybe we deserved to win. It was a good game. The result doesn't give us our reward, but this tie will be even until the last minute."

The second leg of the tie will be played at the Etihad on May 17. Before that, Manchester City will face Everton away in the Premier League, while Real Madrid will host Getafe in La Liga.