VIDEO: Jeremy Doku vanishes for split second as live TV viewers left completely baffled during Man City's Champions League clash with Real Madrid

While the tactical battle between the European giants took centre stage, a viral moment involving Doku stole the social media spotlight. During a second-half sequence, the winger was driving toward the corner flag when his entire body seemed to phase out of the frame for a split second.

The incident occurred near the touchline as Doku attempted to get past Federico Valverde and Trent Alexander-Arnold. The visual anomaly was spotted by thousands of viewers, leading to a wave of "glitch in the matrix" theories trending on X within minutes of the final whistle.

The reality behind the magic trick is far more corporate than supernatural. The phenomenon was caused by Virtual Replacement Technology, which allows broadcasters to overlay different advertisements on stadium perimeter boards depending on the region where the match is being aired.

Because Doku’s kit and movement interfered with the digital sensors used to anchor the virtual ads, the software accidentally "painted" the billboard over the player. This created the illusion that the City star had been erased from the pitch while the play continued in real-time.

City's 3-0 defeat at the Bernabeu clearly leaves them with a tough task ahead in the second leg at the Etihad Stadium next week. However, they will first face West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday, with Pep Guardiola's side currently sitting in second in the league table with 60 points from 29 matches, seven points behind leaders Arsenal.