Two days after the big altercation between Aurélien Tchouaméni and Federico Valverde, which set Real Madrid on fire, Alvaro Arbeloa was at a press conference this Saturday. On the eve of the Clasico on Barça’s field, the Merengues coach appeared very affected.
He inevitably mentioned this incident, especially denouncing the leaks in the media on this subject (“ It is a betrayal of Real Madrid, of the coat of arms; a disloyalty »). He also tried to minimize the fight, recalling that he had already seen worse:
“ I had a teammate hit another with a golf club,”
recalls the former defender.
Arbeloa refers to a famous episode from his time at Liverpool. During the 2006-2007 season, the Reds went to the Algarve for a few days before a Champions League round of 16 first leg match at Barcelona.
Bellamy-Riise, big clash in Liverpool
During a round of golf, Craig Bellamy says he began to believe John Arne Riise was cheating on the course. In the evening, during karaoke, the Welshman, after a few drinks, wanted to force the Norwegian to sing. The former Monaco player refused, quite sharply.
Returning without his room, Riise saw a furious Bellamy come rushing in, a golf club in his hand (an 8 iron, for those in the know).
“ I came in, turned on the light and insulted him like never before, said the Welshman a few years later. I slapped him on the legs, then he took refuge in a corner, wrapped himself in the sheets and bedding, and I said to him: ‘If you ever talk to me like that in front of people again, I’m telling you now…’ and then the situation escalated. »
The next day, their coach Rafa Benitez decided not to sanction them, immediately closing the case, so as not to disrupt the match scheduled a few days later. Crazier, Liverpool won at Camp Nou (1-2) thanks to goals from… Bellamy and Riise. The Welshman will even mime a golf shot to celebrate his goal. And this incident did not prevent the Reds from returning to the C1 final at the end of the season.
