The end of the 2025-26 season was very turbulent for Real Madrid, right from the rift between the manager and the dressing room to an apparent divide in the dressing room itself which was causing misunderstandings and troubles.
The peak of the unrest arrived when there was a reported physical brawl between the team’s two midfielders – Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde – in the dressing room. Needless to say, the event was seen as the ultimate sign of a broken squad.
In the weeks that passed, a lot was speculated on the reason behind the tussle and the players were even punished by the club.
At one point, it seemed impossible for both players to continue in the same team after the summer transfer window.
Tchouameni clears the air
Tchouameni insisted there was never a physical fight. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
Tchouameni spoke to the media in a recent interview where he opened up in detail about the reported clash with Valverde last season and cleared the air on several topics.
He first began by insisting that there was never a fight of the level that was described and that it was just a minor matter.
“People talk a lot, but there was no fight between Valverde and me. Things can indeed happen in the locker room, but we never confronted each other.”
“There might have been sarcastic comments or something like that, but I never got into any physical altercation with Valverde,” he added.
The midfielder did then admit that there was tension between the two players at the time and how it was blown out of proportion by the media.
“It’s true that something unpleasant happened, but the problem is that we’re talking about the team, so any issue, no matter how small, gets blown out of proportion and receives massive media attention.”
“And just like that, something that wasn’t necessarily a problem turns into an actual problem,” he added.
Tensions between the duo have died down. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)
The player then explained how the development affected his close circle who began panicking after reading about such an internal tussle involving Tchouameni.
“After that, everyone reached out to check on me and find out what happened. They wanted to understand the truth of the situation, but in those circumstances, you have to show a lot of discretion.”
“To ease their concerns, I had to tell them there was nothing to worry about. I’d previously watched a documentary about the American football league, and it showed me that things like this happen there all the time,” he added.
Finally, he spoke on how his relationship with Valverde was now and how the two players get along just fine despite their differences in the past.
“If you walked into the locker room today, as Mourinho said, you’d find that Valverde and I are fine. There is no issue between us at all.”
“And the same goes on the pitch; life goes on. In fact, things like this can actually bring you closer to the other person. We’re good, and there’s absolutely no problem,” he concluded.
Source: AS