Real Madrid vice captain Fede Valverde has pretty much been the main captain of the squad this season due to Dani Carvajal's waning influence - and his own issues with disrupting the squad unity and insubordination of the manager - but those brief days may already be coming to an end.
Valverde was the one injured in the training room bust up between himself and French center midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, concussed either by being struck by Tchou or because he fell on a table in the squabble. Regardless of which version of events is true, Valverde and Tchouameni had bad blood for months over the Xabi Alonso firing, which Fede played a key role in after refusing to play right back or work on terms with Alonso.
Now, Alonso and Tchouameni themselves are not blameless in this season, but neither is Valverde. There are so many players at Real Madrid who have behaved inappropriately and selfishly this season, and while there need to be consequences, with how volatile things have gotten in the media, fans are always questioning if there are ulterior motives, who is leaking everything, and what each party may stand to gain from is presented in public.
Kylian Mbappe is one step closer to the captaincy
Since joining at Real Madrid, Kylian Mbappe has been able to be shielded by the other stars at Real Madrid, but with PSG heading for a second straight Champions League Final and Real looking at a second straight trophy less season with the French forward, Madridistas began asking harsh questions about the star man. Now, Mbappe is back to being shielded after a difficult period by this Tchouameni and Valverde outburst.
And now, the drama is still unfolding for Valverde. After players were leaking to the press about the possibility of a vote for the captaincy, Diario AS is reporting, via the Madrid Zone, that there are now multiple Real Madrid players who want to hold a vote over Fede being the captain (as well as Dani Carvajal, presumably). They believe it is time to do away with the seniority rule.
The philosophical question about the seniority rule is one thing, but it is peculiar that, all of a sudden, the players want to do away with an age old tradition at Real Madrid that has generally worked. And though Fede and Tchou did not behave well, it does go both ways, and Fede was the one injured in the end. Meanwhile, in the past, you had better believe that there were harsh incidents in the past that were not given to the media by leakers acting as children.
Mbappe laughed as he left the training ground on the day Tchouameni and Valverde fought, because he knows that he has the most to gain. Fede is one of his enemies from the Alonso firing and part of an old guard of leaders and loved players at Real Madrid. Him losing influence is a big gain for Mbappe, and the breaking of the seniority rule is a chance for him to get a step closer to the Real Madrid captaincy.
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