On May 8, The Athletic published an article summarizing and supplementing the inside story of the Real Madrid conflict.
This week, we learned that Rudiger had an argument with teammate Álvaro Carreras on the training ground - and in late April, Mbappe insulted a member of the coaching staff in a practice match.
Then, on Wednesday morning, news broke that Valverde and Tchouameni had clashed in training.
Even more outrageously, on Thursday, the two players were involved in a more serious incident - a locker room brawl that eventually led to Valverde bleeding and unconscious, and being sent to the hospital.
This article, based on conversations with several well-informed sources (all of whom requested anonymity to protect their relationships), tells the ins and outs of the matter and explains why it is expected to lead to more serious consequences.
Real Madrid's disastrous 2025-26 season is heading in an extremely disreputable direction, full of uncertainty, resentment and infighting. A source at the training ground yesterday said, "Everything that's happening now is very sad," and added, "The club faces huge problems."
On Sunday, Real Madrid, led by Arbeloa, will travel to Barcelona for the second leg of the Clásico this season. They must win, or Barcelona will retain the La Liga title - which also means that Real Madrid will go empty-handed for the second consecutive season.
Judging from this week's events, this is not their biggest concern at all.
Let's first understand the details of the Valverde and Tchouameni conflict, who have been teammates since the Frenchman joined Real Madrid in June 2022.
During training on Wednesday morning, the two players had an argument because Tchouameni felt that one of the Uruguayan player's tackles was too aggressive. After training, the argument continued into the locker room, and other players had to intervene to mediate.
The club insists that the two have reconciled. But what happened next suggests this is not the case.
According to sources, on Thursday, Valverde arrived at the training ground and shook hands with everyone except Tchouameni. During that day's training, Valverde made a series of aggressive tackles on Tchouameni, but Tchouameni did not react in any way.
During the training session, the players were divided into two groups. The coaching staff decided to put Valverde and Tchouameni in the same group. Sources said that Valverde made comments to his teammates about this - implying that he was lucky not to be playing against Tchouameni.
After training, back in the locker room, Tchouameni called Valverde over, and Valverde insulted him. Tchouameni then hit Valverde. The two wrestled, and Valverde's head hit a table, causing him to lose consciousness.
Valverde was also bleeding at the time, and people in the room were very concerned about his injuries, including Tchouameni. After he regained consciousness, he was sent to the hospital accompanied by the team doctor, and was discharged home after examination.
Back in the locker room, several executives, including Real Madrid's general manager José Ángel Sánchez, arrived. He was very angry at what he had heard and said that the club would take action, emphasizing that players fighting was unacceptable.
On Thursday evening, Valverde issued a statement denying that he had been hit or that he had hit a teammate. He said that there was indeed a "dispute" between the two sides, during which he "accidentally hit his head on the table, causing a small cut on his forehead that required a routine checkup at the hospital." Sources said that he wrote the statement himself.
Valverde added: "I'm sorry, my anger at this situation, seeing some of us trying our best and using the last of our strength at the end of the season, frustrated me to the point where I had a fight with my teammates."
Real Madrid also issued a statement confirming that Valverde had a head injury. The club said he was diagnosed with a "traumatic brain injury."
The statement continued: "Valverde is currently in good condition at home and, according to medical protocols, he will rest for 10 to 14 days." Such a timetable means that Valverde will miss the Clásico. Real Madrid's last three games of the season will follow closely behind, on May 14, 17 and 24, respectively (although the specific date of the last game has not yet been determined).
As the dust settles on this violent incident, sources have reflected that problems arise when Real Madrid has nothing to play for. Several problems have arisen this week.
In theory, the La Liga title has not yet been determined. Real Madrid beat Espanyol 2-0 on Sunday night, a victory that means Barcelona will have to wait at least another week to be crowned champions, while also avoiding the possibility of Arbeloa's team being greeted by a guard of honor at the Camp Nou this Sunday.
Vinicius's two wonderful goals in that game were immediately overshadowed by the incident of Mbappe enjoying a controversial vacation with his Spanish actress girlfriend Ester Exposito in Sardinia. At that time, the French striker should have been working hard to recover from his hamstring injury in order to be in time for the Clásico.
Mbappe's move to land at Madrid airport on a private plane shortly before the kick-off of the team's away game against Espanyol was not welcomed by fans and commentators.
On Thursday evening, Real Madrid issued a statement saying that it would launch "disciplinary proceedings" against Valverde and Tchouameni, but did not specify what punishment the club would impose. Sources close to the two senior players speculated that it was "impossible" for Valverde and Tchouameni to continue at the club.
It was previously reported that Mbappe had a conflict with a member of the coaching staff in a recent training session. Sources said that the superstar striker launched an angry and insulting verbal attack on a coach (who was acting as an assistant referee at the time) for ruling him offside in a training match. The incident occurred before the 1-1 draw against Real Betis on April 24 (Mbappe's most recent injury occurred in that game).
On Tuesday morning, Mbappe's representatives responded to The Athletic's request for comment on his training ground dispute and the atmosphere in Madrid as follows: "Some of the criticism is based on an over-interpretation of factors related to the club's strictly supervised recovery period and does not reflect Mbappe's commitment to the team and daily work."
On Tuesday evening, Real Madrid left-back Carreras posted on social media to admit that he had had a conflict with a teammate. He was referring to a heated argument with Rudiger on the Real Madrid training ground, for which the former Chelsea defender has since apologized.
On Wednesday night, Spanish time, after Tchouameni and Valverde had their first clash in training, Barcelona's social media team said they had been following the matter closely in preparation for Sunday's big game.
Looking back on the incident, several sources with a very good understanding of the situation in the Real Madrid dressing room said that Valverde was the culprit , who provoked Tchouameni with his usual behavior that they were already familiar with. One source said that Valverde "has been like this all year," adding that his attitude "lacks leadership." Several other sources who have been at the club longer also supported this view.
Sources close to Valverde did not respond to The Athletic's request for comment on these claims.
Tensions have been brewing for some time.
The atmosphere in the dressing room has deteriorated significantly since Real Madrid last won the Champions League in 2024. On the pitch, the team's performance has also become more patchy.
In the 2024-25 season, which was Ancelotti's last season as head coach, coaching staff insiders and sources close to first-team members warned that the team had become very difficult to manage, that personality clashes and argumentative moods were evident, and that the team was collapsing in the most important games.
Xabi Alonso was appointed as head coach last summer with the task of bringing more organization and order to the team. However, in the first half of the season, many veteran players expressed dissatisfaction with his coaching methods - the most obvious example being Vinicius openly defying the coach's orders in the Clásico held at the Bernabéu in October. Valverde was also unhappy under Alonso.
The response from club executives was to accuse Alonso of failing to control the dressing room, rather than punishing any players for disobeying orders. In addition, there were also concerns about the power and authority of the entourage around the team's stars.
Since Arbeloa took over in January, the situation has arguably deteriorated further. A significant proportion of the players are unhappy with the 43-year-old coach's coaching methods, and there have been clear signs of on-field discord between teammates, such as the heated argument between Vinicius and Bellingham in the closing stages of Real Madrid's Champions League quarter-final second leg defeat to Bayern Munich.
With the team having little left to fight for, the players' frustrations have exploded completely. The whole situation shows that the dressing room is out of control, which reflects Arbeloa's complete lack of authority and the complete absence of senior leadership. When The Athletic contacted a Real Madrid spokesman for comment, he said that this claim was "completely false."
Sources said that the departure of veterans such as Toni Kroos, Luka Modrić, Nacho Fernández and Lucas Vázquez has left the dressing room without positive role models, experienced leaders and distinct personalities. Veterans such as Carvajal and Alaba have only been able to play marginal roles throughout the season, and they themselves may leave the team in a few weeks.
Currently, Arbeloa is still the head coach.
Given that other people at the club rarely talk publicly about difficult situations (which the players' team often complains about), the rookie coach must make it clear at Saturday's Clásico pre-match press conference. The premise of his trip is that it is generally believed that he will not continue to coach next season. The Athletic reported that Mourinho is Pérez's preferred choice to replace Arbeloa.
Even a positive result against Barcelona at the Camp Nou on Sunday is unlikely to calm the situation for long.
Next Thursday, the atmosphere at the Bernabéu will be very intense when they host struggling Real Oviedo. The Bernabéu fans will once again have the opportunity to vent their dissatisfaction, as they have already done many times this season - Mbappe, Vinicius, Bellingham and Pérez have all been targeted.
All of this heralds major changes this summer. The departure of some well-known players may be necessary, both to eliminate personal conflicts between teammates and to raise funds to strengthen the team and make it more balanced and competitive.
All of this chaos also fuels the idea that a strong leader is needed to maintain order. It may not be a coincidence that information about many events that are usually covered up has been exposed just as Pérez appears to be moving forward with the option of reappointing Mourinho as coach.