Federico Valverde has described his training ground fight with Aurélien Tchouaméni as a “small obstacle,” while insisting the incident will only make him a better leader at Real Madrid.
The Uruguayan made headlines at the start of May as the club released a statement confirming he had been hospitalized with a “brain injury” after an altercation with Tchouaméni at Valdebebas.
Both players were fined €500,000 ($580,000) but avoided further disciplinary action, as the club attempted to draw a line under the highly embarrassing affair.
The incident was seen as a low point in a season punctuated by off-field controversy and locker room rifts.
There has since been talk that some Real Madrid players want to see Valverde sold for his part in the drama. However, the player himself insists he has put it all behind him and that he retains the backing of the club and fans.
Valverde Insists He Will Learn From Fight
"I feel great,” Valverde told the media ahead of Uruguay’s pre-World Cup training camp, as quoted by MARCA. “I had the support and affection of all the Real Madrid fans and also of the club. Sometimes you have to go through these small obstacles in football and in life to learn to grow and mature.”
Valverde is also set to become Real Madrid’s latest permanent captain, inheriting the armband from Dani Carvajal who played his final game for the club in the season closer against Athletic Club on May 24.
There have been reports that Madrid could soon switch up their policy of automatically making the most senior player the captain, though Valverde has received a ringing endorsement from Carvajal. The outgoing skipper posted on social media that “the armband is in good hands” in response to a tribute from the Uruguayan midfielder.
Valverde has also asserted that he is confident that recent experiences will help him “be a better captain in the coming years.”
Willingness to Play Right Back
The locker room bust-up with Tchouaméni was not the only incident involving Valverde this season. The 27-year-old raised eyebrows with his comments back in October when he said he was “not born to play right back.”
Asked if he would accept playing in defence for Uruguay this summer, Valverde insisted he would do it if asked by manager Marcelo Bielsa.
"I accept it, obviously,” he said. “The coach is the one in charge, and one always dreams of being among the starting eleven. I’m available for whatever he needs.”
Valverde’s Uruguay begins its World Cup campaign against Saudi Arabia in Group H on June 16, before Cape Verde on June 22 and then facing a Spain team without a single Real Madrid star on June 27.
