Training ground bust-ups, allegations of fights in the dressing room, and a player in hospital requiring stitches for a cut to the head.
It’s never quiet at Real Madrid , but even by their standards, the Spanish giants and their multitude of stars are in a full-blown crisis just days before the Clasico.
A growing sense of inharmony exploded into chaos on Thursday night, following reports of a fight between teammates Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde .
Real Madrid confirmed the nature of Valverde’s head injury, before the club said disciplinary proceedings have been opened against both players.
An emergency meeting with president Florentino Perez was called at the club’s training ground. And now the eyes of the football world wait to see what comes next.
On Wednesday, reports emerged from Real Madrid’s Valdebebas training round of a dispute between Tchouameni, the France midfielder, and Valverde, the Uruguay international and Madrid vice-captain. It was said to have carried on into the dressing room.
The following day, Valverde reportedly approached Tchouameni and accused him of leaking the argument to the press. Tchouameni denied it, but they refused to shake hands, according to AS . With tensions high, there were heavy challenges between Valverde and Tchouameni during training.
The report from AS claims Valverde continued to accuse Tchouameni of leaking the story. Tchouameni is then said to have hit Valverde, causing him to fall and hit his head. He was then taken to hospital for treatment on a cut that required stitches.
In a lengthy post on Instagram, Valverde confirmed that he had been involved in a disagreement with a teammate but denied “coming to blows”. He said he “accidentally hit a table, causing a small cut on my forehead that required a routine visit to the hospital”.
"At no point did my teammate hit me, nor did I hit him, although I understand it may be easier for people to believe that we got into a fist-fight or that it was intentional, but that did not happen,” Valvarde said, adding that the “fatigue of competition and frustration make everything seem bigger than it is”.
The club confirmed that it had opened “disciplinary proceedings” against Valverde and Tchouameni following the incidents in training on Thursday morning. “The club will announce the outcomes of both cases in due course, once the relevant internal procedures have been completed,” Madrid added.
It also issued an update confirming Valverde’s injury and ruling him out of Sunday’s El Clásico against Barcelona . They said he had been diagnosed with “cranioencephalic trauma”, or a head trauma. “Valverde is at home and in good condition; he will need to rest for between 10 and 14 days, in line with medical protocols for this diagnosis.”
Later on Friday, Real Madrid said they had fined Tchouameni and Valverde €500,000 (£432,000) each. Tchouameni and Valverde appeared in front of a disciplinary investigator at the club, with a stiff, and equal, financial sanction levied upon each individual.
“During the appearance, the players expressed their deep regret for what happened and apologised to each other,” a statement from Real Madrid said. “They have also apologised to the club, their teammates, the coaching staff and the fans, and both have made themselves available to Real Madrid to accept whatever sanction the club deems appropriate.”
This was not the first time reports have surfaced on training ground tensions in recent weeks. Antonio Rudiger and teammate Alvaro Carreras were said to have been involved in a heated argument in training, with Rudiger apologising and Carreras confirming on social media that a “one-off incident of no significance” had been “resolved”.
The Athletic reported that star striker Kylian Mbappe also clashed with a member of head coach Alvaro Arbeloa’s coaching staff during training before the 1-1 draw at Real Betis last month, with Mbappe reacting angrily to being called offside by the coach, who was acting as an assistant referee during an exercise.
Mbappe has been sidelined since injuring his hamstring in the 1-1 draw at Real Betis and the France forward sparked controversy after going on holiday to Sardinia with his girlfriend during his recovery period, with photos of Mbappe on a yacht surfacing last weekend while Real Madrid were playing against Espanyol .
Meanwhile, an online “Mbappe Out” petition was started this week, and it has received millions of signatures already. Some Real Madrid fans are angry about suggestions that Mbappe is protecting himself for this summer’s World Cup, although there is a chance he returns for the Clasico at Barcelona.
In the wake of the criticism, Mbappe’s representatives released a statement this week insisting he remains fully committed to his recovery. The statement said the criticism did not reflect “the reality of Kylian’s commitment and the work he puts in every day for the team”.
Real Madrid are heading for their second trophyless season in a row. Barcelona are 11 points clear of them in La Liga and will be crowned champions with a draw against Real Madrid in the Clasico on Sunday. And, in the 97 years of La Liga, the title has never been won in this fixture.
This has been a troubled season for Madrid, which sacked former midfielder Xabi Alonso in January after just a few months in charge amid reports that Madrid’s star players did not want to engage with Alonso’s strict tactical instructions . Not for the first time, club president Perez sided with the dressing room.
Meanwhile, Madrid have still not found a way to successfully accommodate Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham in the same team, leading to further reports of tension between the team’s three biggest stars.
Alvaro Arbeloa was installed as interim head coach until the end of the season, but the environment around Madrid means they will head in another direction at the end of the season. Jose Mourinho is adored by Perez and has been linked with a sensational Bernabeu return.
