Valverde’s toughest hours at Real Madrid

Between the tension, the altercation, the apology and the sanction, two days have passed. A short period of time, yet so much has happened. During it all, Valverde has endured, and continues to endure, the most difficult moments of his professional career. Thursday’s fight was the explosion, but Wednesday’s argument was the spark. The trigger for everything.

That confrontation, which eventually became public, led the Uruguayan to demand explanations from Tchouameni. Then came everything else: the heated training session and the brawl that sent tensions at Valdebebas soaring to unprecedented levels, dragging Valverde into a whirlwind he could not control. Only after returning home from hospital, with his heart rate finally stabilised, did the reality of what had happened truly hit him.

A deep sense of regret has led him to accept the half-million-euro fine imposed by the club on both him and Tchouameni. He also hopes that what happened will not cast doubt on his commitment to the club. Ironically, it was his frustration with the season that pushed him over the line.

In the midst of those tense moments, several sources told AS that he even said in the corridors of Valdebebas that he would never play for Real Madrid again, believing the situation had become untenable. But now, his mind is clear.

After the incident, members of the Real Madrid staff accompanied him to the Blua Sanitas clinic, where he received stitches for the cut he suffered after losing consciousness. Once back home, and beginning to process the events, he decided to break his silence with a statement describing the episode as “a disagreement”.

He wanted to offer his version of events and insist that “at no point did my teammate hit me, and I didn’t hit him either”, a position his entourage continues to maintain. They also stress that the incident stemmed from a conversation after training, not before it.

As for his relationship with Tchouameni, with whom there had already been some tension earlier in the season, the two held a conversation once tempers had cooled. They attempted to reconcile, apologised to one another, and acknowledged that both had made mistakes.

They agreed that what had happened was unforgivable, particularly at a club like Real Madrid. For now, the matter has been closed by the club’s decision. The exemplary sanction brings the internal proceedings against both players to an end.

Valverde is now finding comfort in his family. His wife, Mina Bonino, has shown her support through several social media posts in which she also criticised the backlash directed at him. The Real Madrid vice-captain will now watch the end of the season from afar, as protocol following a head injury, requiring “10 to 14 days of rest”, will rule him out of the remaining matches.

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