Vinicius Jr paid Kyle Walker the ultimate compliment after England vs Brazil game

As far as compliments go, Vinicius Junior went above and beyond when speaking about Kyle Walker after Brazil recorded a 1-0 win over England.

Walker, who captained England for the second time in his international career on Saturday night, picked up a suspected hamstring injury in the opening stages.

He tried to carry on but was replaced by Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa.

The 33-year-old, who has been so pivotal for Manchester City this season, described his early departure as "frustrating", adding: "Hopefully it’s nothing too serious and I’m back ASAP."

Gareth Southgate would also comment on the injury, saying: "He is feeling something but he is not a player that is injured very often so he is not quite certain what it is so we will have to assess it over the next couple of days."

Walker's knock was also felt by those on the opposition team. After the full-time whistle, Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior expressed his sadness at the defender's early exit.

"Ah, it’s all very sad," he told reporters. "Every time a player leaves the pitch injured it’s very sad, not only for the player but for all of us who are there on the pitch."

Vinicius, who was a constant threat throughout this weekend's game at Wembley, was full of praise for the experienced England international.

"We want to play against the best. Walker, I always say, he’s the best defender I’ve ever faced and it’s always a very good duel," he added.

"He respects me a lot and I respect him a lot. Each one defends their side with the greatest will in the world."

Image credit: Getty

Speaking to SPORTbible in 2022, Vinicius brought up Walker when naming his toughest opponents.

He said: "I've played against a lot of them and the most difficult opponents were Chelsea's [Reece] James and [Kyle] Walker, of Manchester City."