Aurelien Tchouameni reveals he missed out on iconic Real Madrid shirt number | OneFootball

Aurelien Tchouameni has revealed he was beaten by Federico Valverde to Toni Kroos' former number eight shirt by Real Madrid teammate Federico Valverde.

German legend Kroos retired at the end of last season, signing off from Madrid duty with the Champions League final triumph over Borussia Dortmund before representing his country at Euro 2024.

He had held the eight jersey ever since signing for Los Blancos from Bayern Munich in 2014 but it was quickly confirmed that Uruguay international Valverde would take the number, despite Tchouameni's interest in picking it up.

Speaking ahead of Madrid's Champions League clash with Lille on Wednesday, the France international said: "About the number, there was Toni's number eight, but it was between Fede and me. The number 14 means a lot, it was my first squad number with France. That's why I went for it."

Tchouameni now has Madrid's number 14 shirt / Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/GettyImages

The 24-year-old attracted criticism from the Spanish press for his performance in the derby draw with Atletico Madrid at the weekend, with Diario AS claiming his club were left disappointed by his lack of positional awareness in midfield.

Responding to the criticism, he added: "I know that as a sportsman, the press and people are going to talk. But for me, the important thing is to win trophies with my team and do what the coach tells me to do. If I listen to the press all the time, I go crazy. That's why I'm calm. The best thing is to play and win matches with Real Madrid.

"In a team, the coach has a plan in which there are players with many qualities, but you have to understand what is best for the team. It may not be the best thing for me, but my responsibility is to help the team through defending, helping in the recovery and providing more assists. In a team like Real Madrid, if you play, it's because you have the qualities. Nothing is a given here."