Real Madrid News
Official: Villarreal confirm Alex Baena’s assault charges against Federico Valverde
After reports emerged that Alex Baena had filed a complaint against Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde for assaulting him, the former’s club, Villarreal, have officially confirmed those claims to be true.
After last night’s La Liga encounter between Real Madrid and Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu, Valverde punched Baena in the bus park area, allegedly angered by the 21-year-old’s derogatory comments over his wife’s pregnancy complications.
Villarreal had confirmed earlier today that they were not filing a complaint against Valverde, but would support if Baena decided to do so. And the midfielder has now indeed proceeded to file assault charges against the Real Madrid star with the National Police.
“Álex Baena suffered an assault last night while on his way to the team’s bus after the match against Real Madrid. Faced with this situation, the player has decided to file a complaint against the aggressor with the National Police,” Villarreal’s official statement read.
Carrusel Deportivo reports that Baena decided to file the complaint against Valverde after visiting a hospital today and receiving reports of the injuries he suffered as a result of the Real Madrid ace’s action.
Even though Baena has filed a complaint with the police, it does not mean that Valverde will not face sporting sanctions, reports Isaac Fouto of COPE.
However, he does add that the sanctions could arrive for next season as had been in the case of Sergio Leon for an incident involving a fan in the past.
Real Madrid will be looking to pick up their fifth win of the 2026/27 La Liga season when they take on Elche CF at Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero later tonight.
With 12 points from five games, Los Blancos are currently second in the league table, three points below leaders FC Barcelona.
As such, the Spanish capital club will be eager to get the win and close the gap to the top.
Guler starts, Bellingham rested
Ahead of kickoff, Real Madrid have announced the starting lineup that will take the field against Elche, with Jose Mourinho making some important changes.
For starters, Arda Guler is back in the lineup after appearing as a substitute in the win over Rayo Vallecano.
Interestingly, however, he starts in the attacking midfield role, with Mourinho opting to rest Jude Bellingham, who has started all of Real Madrid’s games so far.
That also means that Yan Diomande retains his place in the team, starting for a second time in a row on the right wing. Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. continue in their respective positions in attack.
Another notable change sees Aurelien Tchouameni make his first start of the season after recovering from injury and making two appearances off the bench.
He replaces Bernardo Silva as Federico Valverde’s partner in the middle of the park.
Meanwhile, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Marc Cucurella come in as full-backs, while Ibrahima Konate and Dean Huijsen slot in at centre-back in front of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
📋✅ ¡Nuestro XI inicial!
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) September 15, 2026
🆚 @ElcheCF
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