Neymar was seen cheering on Kylian Mbappe as the Paris Saint-Germain striker put away a penalty against Benfica on Tuesday night, but that hasn't done much to quell discussion of the apparent bad blood between the teammates.
Brazil star Neymar was asked about his teammate during the international break, giving a response which didn't exactly allay concerns. There have since been reports that French international Mbappe is keen to leave PSG, potentially as soon as January, with Liverpool among a handful of teams linked.
Mbappe and Neymar are believed to have fallen out over penalty duties, with teammate Sergio Ramos stepping in to calm the feud earlier this season. And now the former, who only signed a new contract in May, has been tipped to leave amid continued frustrations with his role in the side.
Mbappe's position has been made clear. The World Cup winner spoke of the extra freedom afforded him at international level, where he plays in the same team as a focal point like Olivier Giroud or Karim Benzema, and he is not a fan of acting as an attacking pivot himself in Christophe Galtier's team.
Galtier didn't seem too flustered by Mbappe's criticism of his tactics in Saturday's draw with Reims, though. "It was a reaction in the heat of the moment, after a moment of disappointment," the manager insisted. "Kylian sometimes finds himself in the middle and he gets the impression that he’s a pivot. But he’s a smart player who’s capable of adapting."
The issue, of course, is that Mbappe would prefer to operate from the left, where Neymar has played his best and most regular football for Les Parisiens. The two men can't fit into one spot, and that means for Mbappe to thrive, the Brazilian would need to make way.
Neymar might not see eye to eye with Mbappe on certain matters, but the fact remains that they are both playing for the same team and aiming to win the same trophies. The arrival of the pair in 2017 was intended to herald an era of European dominance, but PSG have still yet to win the Champions League and have only reached the final of the competition on one occasion,
One teammate wishing the best for another on the pitch can only take things so far, though. Yes, Neymar's reaction to Mbappe's penalty looked sincere, seeming to suggest he will retain some professionalism on the pitch despite everything going on off it, but it can't remove those distractions altogether.
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“I am trying to reassure him by finding different options," Galtier said after the game against Benfica. "I don’t know what the club told him before I arrived in the summer, but was are very sensitive as to how he feels and what he says because he is a very important player for the team.”
On Tuesday, Mbappe's opener gave the hosts a half-time lead, but they failed to hold out for the full 90 minutes, with Joao Mario's spot-kick levelling things up. However, thanks to Maccabi Haifa's victory over Juventus in the group's other game, both teams should feel confident of reaching the last 16.
Any suggestions of Neymar no longer being fit for purpose on the left are tough to stand up. The former Barcelona star has eight goals and seven assists in Ligue 1 this season, and also laid Mbappe's fantastic opening goal in a Champions League victory over Juventus on matchday 1.
"Neymar plays very well, but he's annoying as hell on the pitch," Benfica scorer Joao Mario told Cabine Desportiva. "One of the best players in the world, very talented, I think he has the need to bicker with players on the pitch, absolutely normal. It's a pleasure for us to play against him."
And so we return to Mbappe's happiness, or lack thereof. Thierry Henry, who like Mbappe came through at Monaco, found himself in a comparable position during his Barcelona days but took a different view to his compatriot.
"Did they (PSG) make him feel that the club was the most important thing?" Henry asked on CBS Sports. "Or did they make him feel like he was more important than the club? I think at one point for me, I didn't like to play high and wide at Barca - I hated it! But I had to do it for the team.
"I didn't like that after 100 caps for France and I don't know how many goals I scored - 51 - I had to go and play on the left. I didn't hear anyone saying, 'Oh, what a nice gesture to go and play on the left' for others who have less goals than me and less caps.
"But I always remember, there is only one rule: if the boss is asking you to do something, you do it for the good of the team. And your team is winning! If your team was losing, I would have understood your argument."
PSG's football advisor Luis Campos also spoke on the matter before the Benfica game, and his comments continue to ring true. The Portuguese was one of the first new recruits after Mbappe's own extension was confirmed, with former sporting director Leonardo making way, so there's reason to feel his comments may hold some weight.
"I am with Kylian Mbappe every day," he told Canal Plus. "He has never talked to me about leaving in January.
"It's not a statement from the player, it's [from the press], and to have such information before a match like this is very serious. That's why I'm here, to deny and say clearly that Kylian Mbappe has never spoken to me or to the president [Nasser Al-Khelaifi] to leave PSG in January."
Between now and January, we are sure to see more speculation about Mbappe's future, and that will remain the case even if those around the club attempt to calm the situation down. While Galtier confirmed "the technical relationship between Ney and Mbappe exists," those words hardly shut down those worried about things beyond the pitch.
Those at PSG may feel the only way for Mbappe and Neymar to change the course of the headlines is by continuing to perform - and to support one another - on the pitch. It remains to be seen whether that will be enough for everyone watching on from the outside.
