Richarlison and Vinicius Jr fight in Brazil training before being pulled apart

BRAZIL team-mates Richarlison and Vinicius Jr has to be SEPARATED during training following a heated altercation.

The pair almost came to blows on Saturday during a training session ahead of the Selacao's friendly with Japan on Monday.

It's not clear what sparked the incident, in which a fired-up Richarlison jawed down the Real Madrid winger as he grabbed his shirt.

The pair's team-mates - including PSG superstar Neymar - quickly raced in to separate them.

But their intervention appeared to further enrage Richarlison, who grimaced as Neymar put his hands around his neck.

Cooler heads eventually prevailed after the pair were dragged apart and went their separate ways.

The incident quickly became the talk of Twitter, with one footie fan saying: "What do you think Vinicius Junior said to Richarlison to upset him this way?

"Me: "Lukaku is better than you."

Another said: "Vini was wrong to say Lukaku >>>>> Richarlison."

Another said: "Richarlison is a Diego Costa kinda player. "

And another said: "See his face. Richarlison knows what he's done."

The near dust-up came four days after Richarlison warmly welcomed Vinicius to the Brazil camp with a warm embrace following his heroics in the Champions League final.

The Everton hitman gave Vinicius a hug before placing his hand on his hat and appearing to crack a joke.

Richarlison bagged the opening goal in Brazil's 5-1 win over South Korea on Thursday afternoon, with the strike taking his international tally to 14 in 35 appearances.