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Real Madrid duo Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe have had some kind words for each other amid speculation of an ongoing feud between the stars.
Los Blancos have had a mixed season, recovering from a terrible run of form, which saw them lose 4-0 at home to Barcelona and 3-1 against AC Milan, to go five unbeaten in December and cement second place in LaLiga.
Their Champions League campaign has been particularly laughable as the 15-time winners find themselves in 20th place and facing the possibility of a play-off to enter the next round.
That was not what the Bernabeu faithful expected after they lifted both trophies last season and added Paris Saint-Germain forward Mbappe to their already substantial arsenal in the summer.
But it has not quite clicked for the Frenchman this season, as he has often been seen stepping on Vinicius’s toes and struggling to find his place in Carlo Ancelotti’s system.
Amid rumors of a fallout between Mbappe and his team-mate, the pair showed their respect in an impromptu New Year’s Eve interview ahead of Friday’s clash against Valencia, according to Marca.
The former PSG forward said: ‘What do I admire most about Vini? His humility, without a doubt. Everyone knows the player and sees every three days the quality he has.
‘This year he has won many mass titles and individual awards, but I draw attention to his humility. He’s always good with the people in the dressing room and I like that a lot.
‘We can score many more goals and we are going to do it. I had to adapt to a new team and in the changing room they have helped me a lot. I thank them all.’
Vinicius continued the Los Blancos love with some kind comments about his new colleague.
‘Kylian is angry as a person and as a player,’ he said. ‘It’s very easy to play with.
‘He’s going to score a lot of goals for all the fans. This is just the beginning.’
Both stars featured in the FIFA Men’s Team of the Year in December, with Vinicius winning the Player of the Year award to make up for his controversial Ballon d’Or snub.
It emerged that he beat the winner of the October award, Manchester City’s Rodri, by five scoring points, after receiving 48 votes to Rodri’s 43.
Vinicius’ Madrid team-mate Jude Bellingham came third with 37, while another Los Blancos player, Dani Carvajal, was fourth on 31.
This placed him slightly ahead of Barcelona and Spain star Lamine Yamal (30).
Lionel Messi (25), Toni Kroos and Erling Haaland (18 each), Mbappe (14) and Florian Wirtz (8) completed the top 10. Fede Valverde was the last player nominated, and finished 11th on four points.
After receiving his award, a delighted Vinicius Jr said: ‘It seemed impossible for me to get here on this stage… I arrived from a small place, close to poverty and crime. Now I’m here.’
It was a much different reaction to when he was beaten to the Ballon d’Or by Rodri two months ago.
That time, his Madrid team-mates joined Vinicius Jr in snubbing the ceremony after they felt he deserved the individual award, despite Rodri getting 1,170 voting points to Vinicius Jr’s 1,129.
