A painful memoryReal Madrid are waiting to see Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde line up together again, more than three months on from the dressing-room altercation that left the Uruguayan hospitalised with a heavy blow to the head.
According to Spanish newspaper “As”, the pair reunited on Monday at Valdebebas, with Tchouameni back in training after the World Cup and the holiday that followed it.
Time heals all wounds, they say. The hefty financial penalty handed down by the club, half a million euros on each player, has certainly helped smooth things over between the two.
Proof that everything is back to normal on the pitch is still missing, though, after the incident that ended with Valverde being rushed to hospital following the heavy knock to his head.
Both men have already addressed what happened, and each publicly accepted the other’s apology.
Club FriendliesDeportivo de A CorunaCOR13 Aug 202603:00Real MadridRMATchouameni told newspaper “L’Equipe” in June: “There is no problem. Many things happen inside the dressing room. We shook hands when he returned, and we continued to work together. We talked, of course…”.
Valverde, for his part, confirmed the dispute was over. “I received the support of many people in what happened, from all the fans, as well as the support of the club. Sometimes you have to overcome such obstacles in football and in life. And from everything we learn. I am sure that this matter will help me become a better leader,” he said.
Neither player has shared the pitch since the altercation on 7 May, though they have trained together twice. The Uruguayan first sat out under the protocol governing the concussion he suffered when he fell after Tchouameni’s blow. Muscular problems then kept each of them out of some of the recent league matches, once the title race had already been settled.
