How the Valverde-Tchouaméni fight unfolded: accusations, punch, Fede in a wheelchair
Real Madrid has opened an investigation into a major training-ground flare-up that ended up with Fede Valverde in the hospital.
It’s one of the most serious internal incidents in Real Madrid history. That’s the scale of what unfolded today, May 7, at Valdebebas. A day that will never be just another day. A fight between Fede Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni in the dressing room. And it was far, far more than a minor clash. Something deeply serious. Valverde hit his head when he went down after being punched by Tchouaméni, opening up a gash that ultimately sent him to the hospital, where he required stitches. The club has opened disciplinary proceedings against both players. AS reconstructs what happened. This is how it unfolded.
Upon arrival at training this morning, Valverde refused to shake Tchouaméni’s hand. No greeting. A gesture that ignited hostility in the locker room and, by extension, on the training pitch. It set the tone for a disastrous day. Valverde immediately began accusing him of leaking yesterday’s dressing-room argument. The accusations were relentless, a steady hammering. Tchouaméni denied it throughout, pointing out that he has no relationship with the press. But the accusations, which escalated in the locker room… carried over onto the field.
As the team trained, Valverde continued pressing Tchouaméni, insisting he was the source of the leak. And as all this unfolded - something emphasized strongly within Valdebebas - Arbeloa did not step in. What followed has been described as an “unpleasant” session. Valverde and Tchouaméni were involved in a constant exchange of ugly challenges. Heavy, hard tackles that teammates and staff alike found impossible to understand. The hostility was palpable. And throughout it all, Valverde kept repeating his accusation: that Tchouaméni had spoken to the media about Wednesday’s incident.
Training ended. But the worst was still to come. Back in the locker room, Valverde kept going - again and again, described by sources as “relentless”. At that point, Tchouameni stood his ground and spoke to him, reportedly in a calm tone. He asked him to stop. To finally put an end to the toxic atmosphere hanging over the group. But Valverde didn’t stop. Not even close. Several players stepped in, trying to mediate, urging him to end the accusations once and for all.
Tchouaméni snaps
It didn’t work. And then Tchouaméni snapped. AS has confirmed that he threw a powerful punch at Valverde. It struck him cleanly in the head and sent him to the ground. It was in the fall that Valverde hit his head and suffered a gash - one caused not directly by the punch, but by the impact with the floor. Valverde was left visibly dazed, to the point that he had to leave the training complex in a wheelchair.
Madrid general manager José Ángel Sánchez, who was near the locker room when the fight broke out, rushed over - but by the time he arrived, everything had already happened. There was little left to do but separate those involved and speak with the rest of the squad. To piece together what had taken place. The club’s president, Florentino Pérez, was not at Valdebebas. Moments later, Valverde was taken to the medical unit in the wheelchair. The seriousness of the head wound became clear there, and he was transferred to the Spanish capital’s Sanitas La Moraleja hospital, where he received stitches.
From that point on, Tchouaméni left Valdebebas in his own car and has not crossed paths with Valverde again. After Valverde arrived at the hospital, his vehicle returned to the training ground - without him. The club has opened disciplinary proceedings against both players and is already evaluating possible measures and next steps.
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