A viral video of a discussion between Real Madrid teammates Aurélien Tchouaméni and Jude Bellingham went viral earlier this week. In it, the pair can be heard discussing two players, whose names have been bleeped out, with Bellingham asserting that one is better than the other. Tchouaméni disagrees.

The immediate assumption was that the pair were talking about Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland. “He’s a great guy, an unbelievable guy,” said Bellingham, suggesting that he had a personal relationship with the player in question. The Englishman had played with Haaland at Borussia Dortmund.

“He’s better than your boy,” added Bellingham. Tchouaméni clearly disagreed, “Please, please, please, please,” said the Frenchman, who many thought was defending compatriot and perhaps soon-to-be team-mate at Real Madrid, Mbappé.

However, speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Tchouaméni has shed light on the conversation. The pair were not discussing Mbappé and Haaland, as many had initially thought, but Eric Dier and Dayot Upamecano. “We weren’t speaking about Kylian and Erling. We were speaking about Dier and Dayot,” said Tchouaméni.

He added, “He was talking about Dier and me about Dayot. That’ll sell less, but it’s the truth.” Bellingham certainly rates his fellow Englishman highly, ranking him above his Bayern Munich teammate Upamecano, who has consolidated his place at the heart of France’s defence.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle