Barcelona defender Eric Garcia has revealed how his teammates reacted to the reported altercation involving Real Madrid players Aurelien Tchouameni and Fede Valverde prior to El Clasico.
As the highly anticipated clash between the two LaLiga giants approached, Real Madrid found themselves in the spotlight for negative reasons.
Reports from Valdebebas claimed that Tchouameni and Valverde were involved in a physical confrontation during a training session.
Real Madrid subsequently announced that disciplinary measures would be taken against the two midfielders, while Valverde reportedly suffered a head injury that prevented him from featuring in El Clasico.
Alvaro Arbeloa included Tchouameni in the starting lineup for the match, but goals from Marcus Rashford and Ferran Torres secured victory for Barcelona.
With the win, the Catalan club clinched the LaLiga title for the 29th time. Achieving the feat against their fiercest rivals and in front of their home supporters made the occasion even more memorable.
Following the celebration of back-to-back league titles with Barcelona, a reporter asked Garcia about the club’s reaction to the reports of unrest within the Real Madrid camp.
The 25-year-old admitted that the news came as a surprise to the entire team. However, he declined to comment further, insisting that Real Madrid should handle their own internal matters.
Garcia said, according to Barca Universal, “Well, obviously, it came as a surprise to the whole team, but anyway, today we’ll enjoy the victory and let them get on with what they have to do.”
Garcia, a product of La Masia, left the club during his youth to join Manchester City. He returned to Barcelona in 2021 and has since won three league titles.
El Clasico: Eric Garcia reveals how Barça players reacted to fight between Real Madrid midfielders