Video: "Naive": Real Madrid legend attacks Valverde after the Kang In Lee incident
He cited Mourinho's opinion
Jorge Valdano has taken aim at Fede Valverde, the Real Madrid legend and former coach criticising the current midfielder over his "naive" reaction in the Madrid derby.
Real Madrid slipped to a 2-1 defeat away at Atletico Madrid on Sunday in the seventh round of La Liga.
Controversial refereeing incidents defined the game. The most notable was Real Madrid's demand for the sending off of Atletico's Kang-in Lee after his strong challenge on Valverde.
VAR did not intervene, and the referee took no decision. That sparked a huge wave of anger at the Royal club.
Valdano weighed in on Valverde's stance in the controversial incident with Kang-in Lee.
Speaking on Movistar Plus Deportes, Valdano said: "Remember that Mourinho accused Valverde of naivety in one of the matches, because he got up too quickly after a foul he thought deserved a harsher punishment. And here I feel that Valverde gets up too quickly, and that can be misleading."
The Royal Spanish Academy defines "naive" as a person who is innocent, trusts easily, or interacts with life with a simplicity resembling that of a child.
Valdano was pointing back to Mourinho's criticisms after the Real Madrid match against Real Betis, when the Portuguese coach said: "The first attack of the match was a clear yellow card for the player who tripped Valverde. Then, a minute later, another yellow card for the player who committed a serious foul against Vinicius. But the Betis players are smarter than the Real Madrid players, who lack experience and skill."
He went on: "The Real Madrid players regain their balance immediately, while the Betis players are smarter, and with the support of a wonderful fan base that pushes them and applies pressure, they achieve such feats."
Real Madrid confirmed Valverde finished the derby against Atletico Madrid injured after that violent challenge from Kang-in Lee: "After tests were carried out on our player Fede Valverde by Real Madrid's medical services, he was diagnosed with a severe trauma to his left ankle."
Pablo Gonzalez Fuertes, the refereeing analyst on the "Marcador" programme on Radio Marca, insisted that "Kang-in Lee's challenge on Valverde deserved a sending off with a red card."
Mourinho left no doubt on the matter, exploding with anger in the press conference: "Yes, we could have done without the press conference because the story of the match is clear here. There are two clear red cards (Kang-in Lee's card on Valverde and Cuti Romero's card on Bellingham)."
