It certainly raised the temperature on a cold night in Manchester, that's for sure.

Images of Manchester City fans' provocative banner mocking Real Madrid's reaction to Rodri's Ballon d'Or win went worldwide in seconds, and dominated the post-match chatter following a blockbuster tie.

Pep Guardiola was asked if he saw the banner, having done all he could to dampen chat of the Ballon d'Or fall-out pre-match. He said he didn't, and with Spanish media asking how that was possible given it spanned the whole of the South Stand lower tier, Guardiola replied that he was still in the dressing room.

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He looked for it when he came out, he said, but the banner was gone. Vinicius Jr certainly saw it.

"It motivated me even more. Whenever rival fans do things, it gives me more strength to play a great game," the Brazilian - who was booed relentlessly throughout - said.

With that assessment, the banner was a huge own goal from City fans, right? A premature pre-match jibe gone horribly wrong? Jamie Carragher, a huge fan of City's as we know, called it ridiculous.

But the organisers of the banner insist it was never the point to hand Vinicius motivation on a plate, not that a player of his quality and mentality needs any more motivation than a Clasico clash vs City. The same goes for Real as a squad.

The 1894 Group, who organised the banner at short notice when City were paired with Real, posted on X to reiterate that the main target of the banner was Real Madrid as a whole, including president Florentino Perez, for their Ballon d'Or boycott and subsequent media campaign against Rodri.

A spokesperson for the group said: "We don't care what Carragher or anyone else says. For us it's a show of support for Rodri and we're sure he appreciated it and that's all that mattered.

"People loved the Rodri banner. We are open to suggestion to offers for it and we could use the money to help people in the community in Manchester."

The group notified both City and UEFA before getting the banner made as per usual processes after the idea was suggested by City influencer Big Steve. Fan-organised banners are only denied on safety grounds or if they contain offensive content.

City ended their pre-match light show with a version of Freed From Desire and the Etihad sang Rodri's name moments before the banner was unveiled.

In the Etihad tunnels that Real players walked past to get to their dressing rooms, they passed another picture of Rodri kissing his Ballon d'Or as part of the display that forms a section of City's stadium tours.

Rodri left the Etihad past dozens of Spanish journalists, declining an interview but telling one publication that the banner was 'very good' as he walked by. He had snapped it on his phone from his seat behind the dugouts and could be seen smiling

He certainly appreciated the message, and whether it helped or hindered City, so did Real Madrid.