Aurélien Tchouaméni and Federico Valverde have decided to leave football and take up boxing following a harsh tackle during training.
What led to Tchouaméni and Valverde’s fight?
Spanish and international outlets claim tensions inside the Real Madrid dressing room exploded this week after a heated confrontation between two players during training at Valdebebas. According to MARCA, the incident began during an intense training drill when one of the midfielders made an aggressive challenge.
The foul quickly escalated into a furious argument, with both players reportedly pushing each other and having to be separated by teammates and coaching staff. Eye witness described it as one of the most heated exchanges seen at the training ground this season.
The argument allegedly continued into the dressing room after training, showing how serious the tension had become behind the scenes. There are also suggest the atmosphere inside the squad has deteriorated badly in recent weeks following disappointing results and growing frustration within the team.
There was a second incident that occurred on Thursday, May 7, 2026, with sources claiming that Valverde refused to shake Tchouaméni’s hand before training, and another confrontation later broke out in the dressing room.
There were also reports from the training ground that Valverde was taken to the hospital after suffering a cut during the chaos, although it was described as accidental rather than a deliberate punch from Tchouaméni.
The situation has reportedly alarmed the Real Madrid hierarchy as the club officials are said to have held emergency meetings with players, while disciplinary action against both midfielders is now being considered internally.