‘He made a mistake’ – Gavi gives his verdict on Fede Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni’s bust-up at Real Madrid
The combative midfielder feels the manager should have handled the situation better.
BARCELONA, SPAIN - MAY 10: Gavi of FC Barcelona in action with Aurelien Tchouameni of Real Madrid CF during the LaLiga EA Sports match between FC Barcelona v Real Madrid at the Camp Nou on May 10, 2026 in Barcelona Spain (Photo by Adria Puig/Anadolu via Getty Images) | Anadolu via Getty Images Gavi has been asked to share his thoughts on the recent bust-up at Real Madrid that featured Fede Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni reportedly coming to blows on the training ground. The incident happened before El Clasico and saw both players fined by the club. Valverde also had to miss the game due to a head injury , while manager Alvaro Arbeloa did call up Tchouameni for the match.
Gavi, who is known for having a short fuse, says that clashes on the training ground aren’t unusual but feels Arbeloa erred by calling up Tchouameni for the match. “I’m one of those who thinks there are always going to be some clashes with your teammates during training at some point during the season, because that’s just how it is, it’s competitiveness, and that’s always good up to a point, obviously,” he told Mundo Deportivo. “But if it comes to blows, then the manager shouldn’t have played him.
If it’s true that they came to blows, then in my opinion, he made a mistake calling him up (Tchouaméni) and playing him. But I don’t really know what happened. ” The game ended in a 2-0 win for Barcelona that saw the Catalans secure another La Liga title and leave Madrid trophyless once again.