The clash, which occurred at Madrid's Valdebebas training complex earlier this month, resulted in both players being fined 500,000 euros by the club after tensions between them escalated over several days. Valverde later required hospital treatment for a cut to his forehead after striking his head against a table during a heated argument, while also suffering a concussion.

Speaking from France's World Cup training camp at Clairefontaine, Tchouameni rejected claims that he had punched his teammate and criticised what he described as inaccurate reporting surrounding the episode.

"Obviously, things happened, you could see and hear about it in the media," Tchouameni said. "It was blown out of proportion because it was in the news, and when you play for Real Madrid, that creates a huge reaction. A lot of nonsense was said in the press. I read that there was a fight and that I had punched him, which wasn't the case."

The French international declined to provide further details but emphasised that the matter had been dealt with internally and no longer affects the relationship between the two midfielders.

"The most important thing is that the club was aware of what happened. There are many things that happen in the dressing room that don't make it into the press. Life goes on. Fede and I have a common goal: to win titles with Real Madrid. There are no problems," said Tchouameni.

Valverde had already sought to calm speculation when he arrived at Uruguay's national team camp, describing the incident as a consequence of competitive frustration and denying that either player had struck the other. He said the disagreement had become magnified by outside attention and called it a learning experience that would help him grow.

The altercation was one of several incidents that reportedly disrupted the atmosphere at Real Madrid towards the end of the season. Another confrontation involved Antonio Rudiger and Álvaro Carreras, although Carreras later described that episode as a one-off matter that had been resolved.

Despite imposing heavy fines on both players, Madrid's hierarchy appeared more concerned about details of the dispute reaching the media. Then-manager Alvaro Arbeloa suggested the leak was more damaging than the argument itself, while club president Florentino Perez reportedly said dressing-room disagreements occur regularly and vowed to identify the source of the leak.

With the controversy now behind them, Tchouameni and Valverde have turned their attention to the World Cup, representing France and Uruguay respectively. While a meeting between the two remains unlikely given the tournament draw, Tchouameni made clear that any rivalry would be limited to the pitch.

"If I face him in the World Cup, we'll both want to win for our national teams," he said. "But on a personal level, there are no problems with Valverde right now."

Kermit Erasmus: A key player as Orlando Pirates eye Nedbank Cup glory