Real Madrid News
Real Madrid ace Federico Valverde punched Villarreal’s Alex Baena after La Liga encounter – report
Real Madrid and Villarreal fought with their all on the field on Saturday night in a game that eventually ended 3-2 in Quique Setien’s side’s favour. Yet, one incident transcended the brawls on the field and stole the headlines on Sunday morning.
The main feature of the story was Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde punching Villarreal’s Alejandro Baena in the face after the game. The incident took place in the bus area where the Uruguayan waited for the Villarreal player’s arrival before exchanging words and smacking him one in the face while he was using his phone.
According to MARCA, the backstory for the same dates back to the last time the two teams met in the Copa del Rey. After a crunching tackle on Valverde on the night, Baena made a nasty comment about the midfielder’s personal life on a topic that he has, on many occasions, revealed to be his point of weakness.
“Cry now that your son is not going to be born,” he told Valverde who was dangerously close to losing his second child earlier this year.
Doctors had given the couple a very poor prognosis for the case, and the situation pushed Valverde to the edge of a psychological breakdown. Later, however, the player and his partner found out the baby was healthy which also led to Valverde’s thumb-sucking celebration in the Club World Cup final.
Baena is understood to have made more incendiary comments towards Valverde during last night’s match as well and that did not go down with the Real Madrid midfielder.
Confronting him near the Villarreal bus last night, Valverde got his revenge with physical aggression, by allegedly punching Baena.
The police were present during the incident and Villarreal have the entire footage on video. The Yellow Submarines will not file any complaint over the events, and everything is in the hands of Baena who has come out on his social media to deny all allegations of making statements about Valverde’s child.
“Fede never has problems with anyone and this has been due to something very serious that comes from before,” the midfielder’s entourage told MARCA.
It remains to be seen how the situation evolved and whether legal action will be taken against Real Madrid’s Uruguayan star. The story could drag on for months to come unless the two players find solace off the field.
In what will come as a pleasing development for fans, Fabrizio Romano reports that Real Madrid forward Rodrygo could make a comeback from his injury earlier than expected.
The 25-year-old Brazilian international has been out of action since March after suffering an ACL injury during a La Liga game against Getafe.
Due to the complete rupture of the ACL, coupled with associated meniscus damage, it was suggested that the attacker was staring at a lengthy time out on the sidelines and might not return until 2027.
In fact, the forward’s father, Eric Goes, recently stated in an interview that the Real Madrid ace could be back in February next year, just before the business end of the campaign.
Rodrygo could be back in December
However, as per the update from Romano, Rodrygo’s comeback could happen well before that expected date.
Indeed, if things continue to progress at the current rate, the 25-year-old attacker might return to action in December or by January 2027 at the latest.
This will come as a welcome boost for Jose Mourinho & co., considering that Rodrygo is a valuable player for the team.
Even though he had endured a tough spell prior to his form, the Brazilian’s versatility, work rate off the ball, and eye for a goal make him an asset.
Rodrygo eager to be back at his best
The update from Romano further states that Rodrygo feels very grateful to Real Madrid for all the help and support they have given him during this difficult phase of his career.
As such, the Brazilian international has made it a mission to return to action in the best shape possible and make an impact from the get-go.
The attacker has only recently begun working on the pitch with the ball indicating the significant progress he has made on the road to recovery.
And, if there are no setbacks, Real Madrid could recover one of their ace attackers before the end of the current year.
So far in his career, Rodrygo has made 297 appearances for Real Madrid, scoring 71 goals. He has a contract with the club until 2028.
