Serious ankle injury to Federico Valverde in the Atlético vs Real derby

On Sunday afternoon, the classic between Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid ended 2-1 in favour of Atlético, but the biggest drama stayed outside the 90 minutes: the Uruguayan international Federico Valverde suffered a serious trauma to his left ankle.

Official diagnosis from the Medical Services

Real Madrid announced that, after examinations carried out on the same day, the Medical Services confirmed the seriousness of the injury. “Following the examinations carried out today on our player Fede Valverde by the Medical Services of Real Madrid, a serious trauma to the left ankle, sustained in this afternoon’s match, was diagnosed. Valverde will undergo further examinations in the coming hours,” reads the official statement of the club.

Valverde, a starter in the match, managed to stay on the field after the intervention of Kang‑in Lee, but later examinations revealed a more serious problem than initially perceived.

Mourinho reacts to the result and the refereeing

José Mourinho, manager of Real Madrid, spoke at a press conference, criticizing the refereeing and recalling two dismissals that, according to him, changed the course of the game. “They were two cartellini rossi,” the coach said, referring to the red card that, in his view, should have been shown to Cristian Romero for a foul on Jude Bellingham.

Mourinho eyes four major changes as Real Madrid brace for Villarreal

Mourinho also questioned the experience of the referee selected for the match, pointing to previous incidents involving VAR and referee Trujillo Suárez.

In addition to the injury of Valverde, the Portuguese coach highlighted that Real Madrid were reduced to ten players in the second half, after the dismissal of Huijsen, which, according to him, further hampered the comeback.

The club has not yet announced a timetable for the return of Valverde, but assured that further examinations will be carried out in the coming hours to determine the appropriate treatment.

Mourinho with injured Mbappé and only seven available at Real Madrid

With the defeat and the absence of Valverde, Real Madrid enter the next round of La Liga with a significant physical problem, while Atlético celebrate the victory at the Metropolitano.