The crisis in the Real Madrid dressing room has spiralled after Federico Valverde was hospitalised following a second bust-up with teammate Aurelien Tchouameni in the space of 24 hours.
According to Marca, tensions inside the Madrid camp worsened significantly since the pair’s initial confrontation.
Today’s altercation has been described as the most serious incident ever experienced at Valdebebas.
The hostility began early in the day when Valverde refused to shake Tchouameni’s hand upon arriving at training.
That created an uneasy atmosphere that carried into the session, where sources say several heavy tackles were thrown in, particularly by the Uruguay international.
The situation then exploded after training during a heated dressing-room confrontation between the pair. Multiple squad members reportedly had to intervene as tempers boiled over.
Valverde suffered a serious facial contusion during the incident, opening a wound that required hospital treatment.
The injury was not caused by a direct punch from Tchouameni, but occurred accidentally during the chaos of the clash.
The scale of the incident has reportedly triggered panic behind the scenes.
Senior club official Jose Angel Sanchez rushed to Valdebebas shortly after the altercation, while disciplinary proceedings have been opened against both players.
No member of the squad was allowed to leave the training ground as Madrid held an emergency crisis meeting to prevent the situation from escalating.
The shocking developments come at a hugely sensitive stage of the season and raise serious questions about the unity inside Alvaro Arbeloa’s squad.
The atmosphere has become deeply fractured, with nerves, divisions and growing unrest threatening to derail Madrid’s campaign entirely.
Antonio Rudiger and Alvaro Carreras were also involved in a physical confrontation.
Several players do not speak to the interim boss. There is also the issue with Kylian Mbappe.
Some of his teammates are reportedly unhappy with him, while he is at odds with the club.
Madrid face Barcelona this weekend in El Clasico and their rivals can seal the La Liga title if they avoid defeat.
