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Atlético Madrid offered a sarcastic round of applause to Real Madrid after it came to light that the ankle injury Federico Valverde sustained in the derby prior to the international break was nowhere near as severe as Los Blancos had suggested.
Madrid were left seething over the officiating in their 2–1 loss to Atlético last month, with the failure to dismiss Lee Kang-in for a heavy challenge on Valverde proving to be a particularly painful grievance.
Following the match, Madrid announced that Valverde had suffered a "severe, grade 3" injury, which carried a potential recovery period spanning several months. Yet just 19 days later, Valverde has already been included in Madrid's squad for Saturday's clash with Villarreal.
Los Blancos gave no hints of Valverde's impending return until his name appeared on the squad list. Unsurprisingly, Atlético wasted no time in weighing in.
"We'd like to congratulate Real Madrid for once again making history by demonstrating that 100% of the global medical community was mistaken," read a tongue-in-cheek post on X.
"Miraculous recovery," was among the hashtags featured, alongside "The story you created."
Mourinho Refuses to Give Anything Away
While Valverde may indeed be back in the matchday squad, the extent of his role against Villarreal on Saturday remains unclear.
The Uruguayan international is said to have been training separately from the main group up until Friday, when the call was made to reintegrate him and begin building toward the fixture.
"Valverde has had the problem that has lasted until ... until ... until today," manager José Mourinho said on Friday. "We'll have to decide what tomorrow will be like."
Mourinho also referred to Valverde as "a doubt," leaving open the possibility of starting without the 28-year-old and keeping him on the bench alongside the club's other injured players.
It is at center back where Madrid's most pressing concerns lie. Raúl Asencio and Éder Militão are sidelined through injury, while Dean Huijsen is serving a suspension following his red card in the derby. Ibrahima Konaté has made the trip but is not believed to be fully fit, potentially leaving Antonio Rüdiger as the sole natural choice.
No academy players have been called upon, which could force Aurélien Tchouaméni to drop back from midfield to provide cover if necessary, though doing so may prove difficult if Valverde is not at full capacity.
Mourinho's side are in urgent need of a response, facing mounting pressure after a sluggish start to the season.