Villarreal star Alex Baena admits his family have been subjected to death threats following an alleged incident with Real Madrid's Federico Valverde.
The 21-year-old has reported the alleged clash to the police with reports suggesting the pair came to blows after the match at the Bernabeu. The two players came face-to-face in the area where the team buses park with Valverde allegedly throwing a punch at Baena.
The Villarreal player was later seen with a bruised and swollen cheekbone. Baena and Valverde had clashed on the pitch during the 90 minutes with the Los Blancos player telling his opponent he would confront him after the match.
Valverde's frustration with Baena dates back to the time the two teams last met, during which the Villarreal player allegedly made a comment about the Uruguayan's unborn son. Valverde and his partner had a miscarriage scare before their child was born in February.
Baena denies making such comments and highlighted how no such evidence had ever been produced. He was now hoping that the authorities would deal with the matter but claimed that his family may not recover from the threats they've faced.
He wrote on Instagram : “Last Saturday I was assaulted by a fellow professional after the match against Real Madrid. After the event, some statements allegedly made by his entourage came to light, in which it was said that I had wished for the death of a family member.
“Since then, there has been no evidence published to prove the allegations made against me. A tragedy was used to justify the aggression and there are lies that hurt more than the blows. The damage being done to my family is irreparable and unjustifiable: threats, insults and even private messages wishing death to my family.
“Yesterday I reported the case to the police. Let justice do its job. My only objective now is to focus on my profession and help my club to achieve its objectives.”
Villarreal had managed to secure a memorable win in the Spanish capital, scoring twice in the final 20 minutes. Samuel Chukwueze bagged the winner 10 minutes from time, which further dented Los Blancos title hopes as they slipped behind Barcelona.
Carlo Ancelotti's side must now prepare for a clash with Chelsea and the Italian is adamant they'll be prepared despite their drop off.
"It was hard to be 100 percent motivated because the Barcelona game demanded a lot from us emotionally," he said. "That’s normal, even though this defeat hurts us. But, this defeat doesn’t change anything about our motivation for the Champions League. Wednesday’s match will be completely different. It’ll be a different story."
