Gavi Criticizes Madrid's Handling of Tchouameni-Valverde Incident

Barcelona’s midfield firebrand Gavi has never been one to duck a tackle. In an interview with Mundo Deportivo, he went in just as hard on Real Madrid’s dressing-room culture and their reaction to the recent Tchouameni–Valverde confrontation at the Bernabeu.

Reports in Spain detailed a two-day clash between the two Madrid midfielders that allegedly escalated into a physical altercation, leaving Fede Valverde needing stitches and hospital treatment. For Gavi, that crossed a line that even the most competitive dressing rooms cannot excuse.

If it comes to blows, he shouldn’t play

Gavi accepted that tempers flare at elite level. Training can be brutal, especially in the decisive stretch of the season. That, he argued, is part of the job.

“I am one of those who thinks that there are always going to be scraps there with your teammates training at a time of the season, because that is how it is, it is competitiveness and that is always fine up to a point, obviously,” he said.

That “point”, in his eyes, was clearly passed in Madrid.

The 21-year-old took aim at Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa for his response, criticising the decision to keep picking the players involved so soon after the alleged incident. He pointed directly to Aurelien Tchouameni’s appearance against Barcelona on May 10 – a 2-0 defeat that sealed La Liga for the Catalans – as an example of a club failing to send the right message.

“But in the end, if it comes to blows, well then the coach should not play him,” Gavi insisted. “If it is true that they came to blows, for me he made a mistake by calling him [Tchouameni] up and making him play. But I don't know the truth of what happened either.”

He left a small caveat about the exact details, but his stance on the principle was blunt: physical violence between teammates should carry consequences, no matter the stakes.

Responding to Florentino and the “robbed titles” narrative

The conversation inevitably drifted from a training-ground fight to the broader battlefield: the rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid, and who gets credit for what.

Gavi’s comments arrive in the wake of Florentino Perez’s latest intervention in the Negreira case. The Real Madrid president claimed his club had been “robbed” of seven La Liga titles, a statement that poured petrol on an already raging debate over refereeing, influence and historical grievances.

For Gavi, those claims are part of a familiar pattern from the capital – a constant attempt, as he sees it, to diminish what Barcelona have achieved.

“Everything knows that from Madrid they are always going to belittle or take credit away from the things that we win or our titles. So that shouldn't matter to us,” he said.

The midfielder, a product of La Masia and a symbol of the club’s new generation, framed Barca’s recent success as something that deserves more respect, not less. Two straight league titles, delivered under severe financial strain and with a squad heavily reliant on academy graduates, carry a different kind of weight for him.

“As I tell you, it has a lot of merit to win two Leagues in a row with many homegrown people, many people from La Masia and without many signings.”

La Masia versus the market

That theme – youth versus chequebook – ran through the rest of his remarks. Where Madrid have continued to refresh their squad with high-profile arrivals, Barcelona have been forced to look inward. Gavi sees that not as a weakness, but as a badge of honour.

“In the end there have been very few signings. Other teams have signed many players every year and it is something to be proud of,” he said.

For him, the contrast is clear. One club leans on heavy investment and constant recruitment. The other, boxed in by financial constraints, leans on its academy and identity.

Gavi’s words will not cool the temperature of this rivalry. They will do the opposite. A young Barcelona leader has openly questioned Madrid’s dressing-room standards, rejected their president’s complaints over “stolen” titles and doubled down on the value of homegrown success.

The next Clásico will not just be about points or trophies. It will be another referendum on what, and whose, version of greatness really counts.