In football, brawls are an inevitable part of the sport. They can occur during any encounter let alone a top clash between two major European forces.
So while the tussle between Paris Saint Germain and Juventus players at le Parc des Princes wasn’t a surprise on its own, it was the identity of its protagonists that raised eyebrows.
A week ago, Leandro Paredes and Sergio Ramos were still teammates in Paris. But on Tuesday night, there was no love lost between the two men were ready to clash heads, and not just in a sporting sense.
The incident erupted following a mistimed challenge from Gleison Bremer on Kylian Mbappe. The Argentine midfielder and the Spanish defender were shoving one another.
Marco Verratti was one of the cool heads that separated them. The Euro 2020 winner explains why he wasn’t surprised to see Ramos and Paredes engaged in a brawl.
“Why didn’t I participate in the brawl? Well, Leo [Paredes] and I are friends. But I would have bet on the quarrel between him with Sergio Ramos,” said the Italian in his post-match interview to Mediaset via IlBianconero.
“They even argued in training sessions all the time. They are two very competitive guys who care about winning.
“But then there was the hug at the end of the game and it all ends there”.