Why did Fede Valverde attack Alex Baena? New report claims Real Madrid star attacked Villareal man without provocation
Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde and Villarreal's Alex Baena were involved in a scuffle outside the pitch following Madrid's 3-2 La Liga loss at home to the Yellow Submarine on Sunday (April 9). The Uruguayan midfielder reportedly punched Baena without provocation.
While initial reports suggested that Baena had made ill comments about Valverde's wife's miscarriage earlier in the year, SPORT suggests that the Villareal player didn't say anything to Valverde during the recent game. The aforementioned report also suggests that Valverde told Baena:
"I'll see you outside."
Baena was reportedly doing a video call with his friend Arnau Martinez when Valverde attacked him at the Santiago Bernabeu's parking area.
The Real Madrid midfielder's wife, Mina Bonino, has since released a statement about how she and the family were devastated when the miscarriage happened. She wrote on social media (via MD):
“I have to go out and give explanations of when they told me that my pregnancy could not continue? We were silent for almost two months, waiting for the results to know if we could continue or not, having already undergone FIVE months of gestation."
She added:
“In spite of everything, from my heart, I do not wish anyone to have to go through a similar situation. It’s the last thing I wish to be put in, but for me, it’s torture to relive this. I understand that it was already public that something was happening with my pregnancy.”
Coming to the aforementioned game, Los Blancos twice took the lead against Villareal but conceded twice in the final ten minutes to endure a surprise defeat.
Carlo Ancelotti confident of Real Madrid's chances against Chelsea
Real Madrid have no time to moan about their loss against Villareal. That's because Los Blancos return to action to take on Chelsea on Wednesday (April 12) in the EUFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti is confident that the team won't be disheartened by the Villarreal loss and will be prepared to take on the Blues. The Italian said after the league game (via Los Blancos' website):
“With regard to the Champions League, this defeat won’t affect our confidence for Wednesday's game, which will be different. I may use the same eleven from the Camp Nou. Today I rotated a lot of players because the match against Barcelona took a lot out of us physically and mentally."
A win against Chelsea will take Real Madrid a step closer to retaining their European title. If they beat the Blues, they will face Manchester City or Bayern Munich for a place in the final.