Real Madrid duo Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe have conjured up some kind words for one another amid speculation of an ongoing feud between the superstars.
Los Blancos have had a mixed season, recovering from a horrendous run of form, which saw them lose 4-0 at home to Barcelona and 3-1 to AC Milan, to go five unbeaten in December and cement second place in LaLiga.
Their Champions League campaign has been particularly jittery as the 15-time winners find themselves in 20th and facing the possibility of a play-off match to get into the next round.
It is not what the Bernabeu faithful expected after they lifted both trophies last season and added Paris Saint-Germain forward Mbappe to their already considerable arsenal in the summer.
But it has not quite clicked for the Frenchman this season, as he has often been seen treading on Vinicius's toes and struggling to find his place in Carlo Ancelotti's system.
Amid rumours of a fallout between Mbappe and his team-mate, the pair showed their mutual respect in an impromptu New Year's Eve interview ahead of Friday's clash against Valencia, Marca reports.
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 collective titles and individual awards, but I highlight 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 dressing room they have helped me a lot. I thank them all.'
Vinicius continued the Los Blancos love-in with some kind remarks about his new colleague.
'Kylian is a crack as a person and as a player,' he said. 'He's very easy to play with.
'He is going to score a lot of goals for all the supporters. This has only just begun.'
Both the stars featured in FIFA's Men's Team of the Year in December, with Vinicius awarded the Player of the Year award to make up for his controversial snub at the Ballon d'Or.
It emerged that he beat the winner of October's award, Manchester City's Rodri, by five scoring points, having got 48 votes to Rodri's 43.
Vinicius's Madrid team-mate Jude Bellingham took third spot with 37, while another Los Blancos player, Dani Carvajal, was fourth on 31.
This placed him just 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 final player nominated, and he finished 11th on four points.
Upon picking up his award, a delighted Vinicius Jr said: 'It was looking impossible for me to arrive here on this stage… I arrived from a small place, close to poverty and crime. Now I'm here.'
It was a far different reaction to when he was beaten to the Ballon d'Or by Rodri just two months ago.
On that occasion, Vinicius Jr was joined by his Madrid team-mates in snubbing the ceremony after they felt he deserved the individual prize, despite Rodri getting 1,170 voting points to Vinicius Jr's 1,129.