Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde required hospital treatment for stitches after a second physical confrontation with teammate Aurélien Tchouaméni in two days, deepening the club's crisis. The incident occurred on Thursday at the Valdebebas training ground, with Valverde suffering a head wound after falling and hitting a table corner.
The altercation began when Valverde refused to shake Tchouaméni's hand, accusing him of leaking details of their previous day's argument. Tchouaméni denied the accusation, but Valverde persisted, leading to a tussle. Other players intervened, but Valverde fell and gashed his head. He was taken to Hospital Blua Sanitas Valdebebas for stitches and later diagnosed with head trauma, requiring 10 to 14 days of rest.
Real Madrid opened disciplinary proceedings against both players. The club's medical department confirmed Valverde was at home in good condition. In an Instagram statement, Valverde apologised, stating that neither player hit the other and that frustration over the team's poor season contributed to the argument. He said: 'I'm truly sorry because this situation hurts me... the result is a build-up of things that culminate in a senseless fight.'
The incident is the latest in a series of problems at Real Madrid, who are 11 points behind Barcelona in La Liga with four games left. A loss in Sunday's clásico would hand Barcelona the title. The team has also seen clashes involving Antonio Rüdiger, Kylian Mbappé, and Dani Ceballos, while coach Álvaro Arbeloa will not continue next season.
