Second year without a title?
Training dispute ends with a laceration: chaos at Real Madrid
Updated on May 7, 2026 – 6:39 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Shortly before the Clásico against Barcelona, two Real professionals clashed during training – one ended up in hospital. For the club, Sunday’s game could seal the club’s second titleless season in a row.
A training dispute at Real Madrid sent captain Federico Valverde to hospital. According to the Spanish sports newspaper “Marca”, Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni clashed on Thursday; Valverde suffered a laceration.
The trigger is said to have been that Valverde refused to shake Tchouaméni’s hand at the beginning of the session. The mood was high during training. According to the report, Valverde suffered a bruise and laceration in the dressing room – not from a punch from his teammate, but unintentionally. Several players had to mediate.
There is said to have been a crisis meeting afterwards. Disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against both professionals, reported “Marca”.
The incident hits Real Madrid in an already difficult phase. The club is 11 points behind Barcelona in the Spanish league with four rounds to go. At the Clásico on Sunday at the Camp Nou, one point is enough for FC Barcelona to secure the championship early – for Real it would be the second titleless season in a row.
There is also unrest away from the training ground. Superstar Kylian Mbappé recently caused upset after he took a short vacation to Sardinia during his rehab. His appearance against Barcelona is questionable due to an injury. According to Spanish media, the relationship between Mbappé and other French squad players and parts of the team is considered strained.
At the same time, the search for a new coach is apparently underway. Several Spanish media outlets unanimously reported that club president Florentino Pérez made an initial offer to José Mourinho via video. The Portuguese, currently coach of Benfica Lisbon, is said not to have refused, but to have set conditions – including a free hand in personnel decisions. However, Mourinho recently publicly contradicted the reports at a press conference: “No one from Real Madrid has spoken to me, I can guarantee that.”
Incumbent Álvaro Arbeloa took over as coach from Xabi Alonso, who had to leave after a public conflict with Vinícius Júnior and tensions with other players. In addition to Mourinho, according to media reports, Didier Deschamps, Mauricio Pochettino and Jürgen Klopp are also considered possible successors. However, Klopp expressly ruled out a return to the coaching bench at the end of March.