Atletico Madrid and Spain star Alex Baena has hinted that Real Madrid counterpart Fede Valverde may well be ‘a bit obsessed’ with him. The pair have been to battle many times over recent years in La Liga, but will face each other at the World Cup when La Roja take on Uruguay.
At one time, it was reported that Baena had insulted Valverde’s family, which began an ongoing feud between the two. That has been vehemently denied by Baena, but four months later, Valverde reportedly hit Baena in a car park after Villarreal played Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, which was not denied by either player. Baena has told Cadena Cope in an interview that he almost quit football afterwards.
“No, it stemmed from that. Personally, that marked a turning point, a ‘before and after’ moment. There was a time I almost quit football because of everything I went through. It affected me more because of what my family was subjected to than what I faced myself, but just as I was about to walk away, Luis (De la Fuente) called me up for the first time, and I gradually managed to bounce back. It was a critical juncture that – thanks to my family and the psychologist I’d been seeing for a while – we were able to overcome it.”
“The social media aspect… the criticism, death threats against me and my family, turning on the TV and seeing myself discussed… After all, I’d only been in the First Division for a year and a half or two years, and it was the first time I’d experienced such a massive global impact, because, ultimately, it involves Real Madrid, and it was a situation that hurt me deeply, very deeply.”
Baena has forgiven Valverde
Without mentioning the reported assault, Baena was asked whether he had moved on from the incident.
“I’d say that before [I held a grudge], yes. Now I’ve learned a lot, and I’m much less so. Yes, [I forgave him] a long time ago.”
“Maybe he’s a bit obsessed with me” – Baena
Now that it is behind him, Baena explained that he felt Valverde was the one that held onto the incident more than him.
“No, apparently it makes him a bit more tense. We’ve always been respectful of each other in that regard and have shaken hands.”
The last time the two players met, Valverde was sent off for an aggressive challenge on Baena.
“Maybe so. Perhaps it was just a run-of-the-mill incident during the game; I don’t know. Looking at the play, I do think it was more of an obsession than anything else, though it’s true that in football – since everything happens so fast – maybe if it had been another teammate, exactly the same thing would have happened.”
And finally, Baena revealed that he didn’t get into any sledging with Valverde on the pitch.
“No. I’m not really one for talking on the pitch anyway, whether I know the person or not. For instance, when Cuco and I see each other at the next derby, we’ll talk after the match.”
