Atletico Poke Fun at Real Madrid, Congratulate Rivals on 'Medical Miracle'

Atletico Madrid have once again taken an ironic swipe at city rivals Real Madrid on social media. The banter was sparked by Federico Valverde's rapid recovery, with the midfielder returning to full first-team training on Friday after nearly three weeks sidelined with an ankle problem.

"We would like to congratulate Real Madrid on continuing to make history by proving that 100% of the world's medical community was wrong," Atletico posted, accompanied by the hashtags "Miraculous Recovery", "Medical Report", "Grade 3 Sprain", and "The History You Made".

The post refers back to the Madrid derby played on September 20. In the 44th minute, Kang-in Lee caught Valverde with a reckless challenge on the ankle. Referee Ortiz Arias awarded a foul but refrained from showing a red card, and VAR did not intervene. The Uruguayan went on to finish the match without apparent distress.

The incident caused massive outrage at Real Madrid. The club felt Lee should have been sent off, and following their defeat, attention turned squarely toward the officiating and scathing criticism of the refereeing crew.

That same evening, Real released a medical report confirming a "severe left ankle injury" for Valverde. The situation became one of the club's key arguments against the refereeing decisions in the derby, alongside Cuti Romero's stamp on Jude Bellingham. Mourinho claimed Atletico should have finished the match with nine men, even presenting printed photos of the controversial incidents during a press conference.

Two days later, Real updated Valverde's diagnosis to a Grade 3 sprain. Certain media outlets projected an absence of up to three months, prompting the Uruguayan national team to call up an emergency replacement.

Yet, just three weeks on, Valverde is already back training with the squad and could feature against Villarreal, without missing a single official fixture for Real due to the injury.

It is precisely this gulf between the initial prognosis and the speedy recovery that sparked Atletico's mockery. The Colchoneros believe Real exaggerated the extent of the injury simply to mount pressure on the match officials in the wake of the derby.