"No player -- not Fede, not Rodrygo, not Vini -- has ever said to me that they don't want to play in a position. That hasn't happened. Everyone wants to play, and when they don't play, they'd like to be on the pitch. But no player has said to me that he doesn't want to play. They all have a good attitude, and I decide, and I have to choose what's best for the team. I want to make that clear."
"We [the team] spend a lot of time together. We prepare games, we celebrate when we win, we hurt when we lose. That makes us close, and very united. I've always felt trust and closeness with the players, knowing my position, but respecting each other."
Federico Valverde denied refusing to play out of position after being left out of Real Madrid's 5-0 Champions League win at Kairat Almaty, following his remark that he "wasn't born to play right-back." Some fans criticized Valverde's touchline demeanor. Xabi Alonso insisted that no player — including Valverde, Rodrygo and Vinícius Júnior — has refused positional assignments, saying all players have good attitudes and that he chooses what is best for the team. Real Madrid won seven games, lost 5-2 to Atlético in the derby, then rebounded 5-0 with Kylian Mbappé scoring a hat trick.
Read at ESPN.com
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