The 3-0 victory of Real Madrid over Manchester City in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 continues to generate reactions across the football world.

One of the most surprising comments came from Thierry Henry, who joked about the mystique of the Real Madrid shirt after the performance of the team coached by Álvaro Arbeloa at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Did Thierry Henry turn his back on Barcelona?

After the heavy win, Henry praised the performance of Federico Valverde, one of the standout players of the match.

The former FC Barcelona striker made a comment that quickly went viral.

“I’m very much a Barça fan. But you have to give Real Madrid a lot of credit. Nobody saw it coming. And nobody saw Valverde scoring a hat-trick. Anyone who says they knew Valverde would score a hat-trick is lying,” Henry said in an interview with CBS.

He then added a humorous remark.

“I don’t know what that shirt has. I don’t know what they put in that shirt, honestly. Obviously this is a joke because I don’t want to wear that shirt. But maybe if I wear it, it could help me get my hair back,” he said laughi

Henry highlights Thiago’s performance but struggles with his name

The Arsenal legend also praised the impressive performance of Thiago Pitarch, who at just 18 years old is earning the trust of Arbeloa.

The midfielder played most of the match against Manchester City and was applauded by the fans at the Bernabéu.

“I want to talk about… I don’t know how to pronounce his name, Pitarch. I watched him closely tonight. What a match! He was running everywhere,” Henry said.

Date and time for the Manchester City vs Real Madrid second leg

The Champions League Round of 16 second leg will be played at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, March 17 at 4:00 PM ET.

The winner of the tie will face the winner of the matchup between Bayern Munich and Atalanta in the quarterfinals, a tie that currently appears to be leaning toward the German side.

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