Jorge Valdano criticises Fede Valverde after ‘naive’ reaction in Madrid derby

Jorge Valdano has criticised Real Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde for what he described as a “naive” reaction during Sunday’s Madrid derby against Atletico Madrid.

Real Madrid lost 2-1 to their city rivals at Atletico’s home ground in the seventh round of La Liga, in a match that included several controversial refereeing decisions.

One of the most disputed incidents came when Kang-in Lee made a strong challenge on Valverde. Real Madrid players appealed for the Atletico midfielder to be sent off, but the referee took no action and VAR did not intervene.

The decision caused considerable anger within Real Madrid, while Valdano later assessed Valverde’s response to the challenge during an appearance on Movistar Plus Deportes.

“Remember that Mourinho accused Valverde of being naive in one match because he got up too quickly after a foul he believed deserved a stronger punishment,” Valdano said.

“Here, I feel Valverde gets up too quickly, and that can be misleading.”

The Royal Spanish Academy defines “naive” as describing someone who is innocent, easily trusting or who responds to life with a simplicity resembling that of a child.

Valdano was referring to comments made by Jose Mourinho after Real Madrid’s match against Real Betis. The former Real Madrid manager had previously criticised the team’s players for recovering too quickly after challenges instead of making the seriousness of the fouls clear.

“The first attack of the match was a clear yellow card for the player who fouled Valverde. Then, a minute later, another yellow card for the player who committed a terrible foul on Vinicius,” Mourinho said.

“But the Betis players are smarter than the Real Madrid players, who lack experience and skill.”

He added: “Real Madrid players regain their balance immediately, while Betis players are more intelligent. With the support of a wonderful crowd pushing them and putting pressure on them, they achieve these things.”

Real Madrid later confirmed that Valverde had finished the derby with an injury after the challenge from Kang-in Lee.

“After examinations were carried out on our player Fede Valverde by Real Madrid’s medical services, he was diagnosed with severe bruising to his left ankle,” the club said.

Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes, a refereeing analyst on Radio Marca’s Marcador programme, also said the challenge should have resulted in a red card.

“Kang-in Lee’s challenge on Valverde deserved a red card,” he said.

Mourinho was equally emphatic when discussing the match, saying the two incidents should have led to dismissals.

“Yes, we could have done without the press conference because the story of the match is clear here,” he said. “There were two clear red cards Kang-in Lee’s challenge on Valverde and Cuti Romero’s challenge on Bellingham.”