The semi-final derby of the Spanish Super Cup between Atlético and Real Madrid left two important blows. One came from afar, specifically since 2023. That year the brawl between Valverde and Baena occurred in the Santiago Bernabéu parking lot after … of a Real Madrid-Villarreal. The Uruguayan punched the Andalusian after an episode of which there were different versions.
In Jeddah, both protagonists met again on the field, and despite the time that has passed, the wounds do not seem closed. On the first occasion in which they crossed paths on the field, Baena grabbed Valverde’s shirt and provoked an angry reaction from the white side. Baena was not far behind. He placed his head next to that of the Uruguayan, who ended up pushing him. The tension was evident. It wasn’t the last time they crossed paths.
Simeone and Vinicius also had their own game, with a long conversation by the sideline as the match progressed. According to Cadena Cope, one of the phrases that the Argentine coach would have said to the Brazilian forward would be: “Florentino is going to throw you out, ‘remember’ what I tell you.”
The conversation alternated between moments of laughter and others in which it was noticeable that both were raising their tone. When Busquets Ferrer whistled for half-time, Simeone could be seen talking to Carvajal on the way to the locker room.
In this case the thing didn’t end there either. In the 80th minute, when Vinicius was substituted amidst the whistles of a mostly white crowd, Simeone wanted to leave his mark. “Look how they whistle at you,” he told the Brazilian already on the sideline. The winger reacted by confronting him, as did Xabi Alonso, who reproached his colleague for trying to destabilize his player. Rüdiger also entered the scene to take his teammate to the bench.
