He didn't punch me — Valverde and Tchouameni explain what happened

Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde has emphatically denied widespread reports that he was punched by teammate Aurélien Tchouaméni during a well-publicised training ground altercation, releasing a lengthy social media statement to clarify the chaotic events.

Addressing the friction that occurred at the Valdebebas training complex, the Uruguayan international completely refuted claims of a physical brawl, writing: 

"At no point did my teammate hit me, and I didn't hit him either." Instead, Valverde claimed that during an escalating verbal argument fuelled by competition fatigue and immense frustration, he accidentally hit his head on a table. 

According to his version of events, this collision caused a small cut on his forehead that required a visit to the hospital. 

He pushed back against the media narrative, arguing that such locker-room disagreements are entirely normal and accusing unnamed sources of deliberately fabricating stories to defame him.

This defence was subsequently supported by supposed leaked direct messages from Tchouaméni, in which he insisted, "I didn't punch him." He has also released his own official statement, apologising for the conflict.

Despite the coordinated public denials from both players, Real Madrid’s hierarchy viewed the disruptive incident as incredibly severe, officially imposing a staggering €500,000 fine on each midfielder, marking the largest disciplinary financial penalty in the illustrious history of the club.

Following a rapid internal investigation where both players appeared before an investigating officer to express their complete remorse and apologise to manager Álvaro Arbeloa, the squad, and the fans, the club concluded their disciplinary proceedings. 

Valverde has officially been diagnosed with a traumatic head injury that strictly requires 10 to 14 days of rest. Consequently, the midfield engine has been completely ruled out of Sunday’s El Clásico showdown against Barcelona at Camp Nou, dealing a massive, self-inflicted blow to Real Madrid right when they desperately needed their core squad fully available to save face against their eternal rivals.