Mourinho opens up on handling rifts among Real Madrid teammates
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has opened up on how he has been able to handle the rift between French midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni and Uruguayan utility playmaker, Frederico Velverde.
Recall that the pair were involved in bloody altercations during consecutive training ground sessions at the team’s training camp at the Valdebes in May 2026.
Velverde eventually landed in the hospital after the brawl with his teammate suffering a head injury which resulted in a concussion that required immediate medical attention.
Tchouameni was also diagnosed with a mild traumatic brain injury which forced Real Madrid to launch an internal investigation and fined both players €500,000 each.
Mourinho has weighed-in on how he tried to manage the pair when he first arrived at the club saying he kept a close watch on the matter because he needed to know if he had to step in and act.
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Mourinho said; “I was keeping a close watch because I needed to know if I had to step in and act as the Minister of Peace… but I didn’t do a thing. It was all them.
“They struck me as two great friends”.
He also talked about the patchy form of Vinicius Jr who is experiencing a difficult start to the 2026/27 season with Real Madrid yielding only one goal and two assists across his first five competitive matches.
“There is a proverb in Portugal that says: you only throw stones at trees that bear fruit”.
“What has Vini done here in recent years? How many Champions League titles has he won? How many goals has he scored? He is a tree heavy with fruit. And people throw stones because they want that fruit”.
“The best version of Vinicius is yet to come. The one from last year, when the Bernabéu was nervous against Benfica and he decided the tie, that Vinicius will return”. He said.
