Valverde says Real Madrid backed him after training-ground fight with Tchouameni

Federico Valverde has broken his silence on the training-ground fight with Aurélien Tchouameni that overshadowed the closing weeks of Real Madrid’s 2025-26 season, telling reporters in Uruguay that the club stood firmly behind him throughout the fallout.

The two midfielders came to blows during a training session, with Valverde suffering a concussion serious enough to require hospital treatment. Both players were subsequently fined by the club, which then declared the matter closed. Valverde addressed the incident on his arrival with the Uruguay squad ahead of this summer’s World Cup, speaking to reporters in comments reported by Marca.

“I feel very good,” Valverde said. “I had the support and affection of all the Real Madrid fans and also of the club. There are times when you have to go through these mini obstacles in football and in life to learn to grow and mature. It will make me a better captain in the coming years.”

The 27-year-old kept his remarks on the incident brief, but was noticeably more expansive when the conversation turned to the World Cup in North America. Valverde said he is harbouring genuine ambitions for Uruguay at the tournament, while also emphasising how much the occasion itself means to him.

“I’m always excited about lifting the trophy,” he said. “It’s what you want most, what you always dreamed of as a child: to play in the national team and lift the World Cup.”

The altercation was the most visible flashpoint in what proved to be a deeply difficult season for Real Madrid. The club ended the campaign without a single trophy, and the dressing-room discord in its final weeks compounded the sense of a year to forget at the Bernabéu. Valverde’s captaincy reference suggests he is already looking ahead to a leadership role at the club, even as questions about the squad’s internal cohesion linger into the off-season.