Tchouameni reveals where things stand with Valverde after Real Madrid fallout | OneFootball

The 2025-26 season was quite a turbulent one for Real Madrid. The Merengues not only missed out on their objectives of winning big titles, but also remained in media spotlight, mostly for the wrong reasons, almost for the entirety of the year.

There were constant controversies surrounding the white team, starting from the defeat to Atletico Madrid, going through Vinicius’ reaction to being subbed out in El Clasico, Xabi Alonso’s problems in the dressing room and his departure after only half a season at the helm, and ending with Alvaro Arbeloa’s own problems with some players.

Divisions within the dressing room were also quite apparent, and the most fiery episode involving the Merengues in this controversial season was none other than the fight between two of their most important midfielders, i.e., Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni.

This altercation was well-reported in the media and its details are easily available. However, such an incident can have far-reaching consequences for any group, and one of the most important tasks for Jose Mourinho would be to bring back the feeling of solidarity in the dressing room.

Meanwhile, it seems that the groundwork for this work has already been laid at Real Madrid. As Diario AS has reported, the French midfielder Tchouameni appeared in an interview with l’Equipe, and talked to some length about this fight, and how the issue has panned out in its aftermath. The midfielder was particularly bothered with how this matter was brought up by the media:

“As I said, what bothered me were the false stories that came out about what actually happened. I can’t control that. The most important thing is that things are good and calm in the dressing room. A lesson from it? That no matter what happens in your life, the problem is never as big as you think it is. Like everything else, today people talk about this, tomorrow they’ll talk about something else.

You just have to get through the two or three days when there’s a lot of noise. This story grew to such an extent that, for the first two or three days, we felt like it would never end. But in reality, after two or three days, someone says another crazy thing or a new story emerges, and everyone moves on.”

Tchouameni went on to reveal that he shook hands with Valverde after he returned from his injury lay-off:

“But you have to understand the reality: there is no problem. A lot of things happen in a dressing room. We shook hands when he came back, and we kept working together.”

Furthermore, the Frenchman went on to imply that the relationship between them has returned to normal, even though they have not yet played together in a match incidentally:

It is definitely good to hear that Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde have resolved their differences, especially as they remain two very important members of the current dressing room, and would have a great role to play in the upcoming project that Jose Mourinho is going head at Real Madrid.