Davide Ancelotti, his father Carlo’s assistant in coaching Real Madrid, revealed that one of the Royal Club’s players refused to take a penalty kick against Manchester City in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.
The Italian indicated in an interview with the media after the match that he and his father had put the names of 5 players to shoot, but the first one to shoot was not among them, Luka Modric.
Ancelotti said, “Four or five minutes before the end of the match I started preparing for the penalty shootout. I put Jude and Lucas because they shoot very well. Nacho has experience and personality, and Antonio was also ready.”
He continued, “The fifth one we chose was Fede Valverde. After the end of the match, when we said the names of the shooters, the player asked not to shoot.”
He concluded, “Valverde said that he is tired and feels exhausted, so he prefers not to shoot, and we have already decided to rule him out.”
Modric, Valverde’s replacement, missed the first penalty kick and goalkeeper Ederson saved it, but fortunately Andrey Lunin managed to save two kicks, giving Real Madrid a 4-3 victory and qualifying to face Bayern Munich in the semi-finals.
In general, Valverde played a distinguished match that earned him the Best Player award from UEFA. He also scored a goal in the first leg in Madrid, which ended in a 3-3 draw.
