Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal has set the record straight following false claims from the weekend that he had asked his teammates to score eight goals against Valencia.
Madrid enjoyed a 5-1 win in La Liga on Saturday to put a recent draw with Rayo Vallecano behind them and keep pace with surprise leaders Girona.
But Carvajal was the subject of a backlash for apparently being disrespectful towards Valencia after some headlines in Spain claimed he rallied teammates at one stage with cries of 'give them eight'.
Those who read Carvajal’s lips to create the story got things slightly wrong though.
"I was walking around Madrid and I read a couple of news articles in which I supposedly say that we have to score eight against Valencia and I'm a little tired of everything being scandalised," the right-back said in a video published on social media.
The confusion appears to have emerged because of the similarities between the Spanish words for 'eight' and 'other' – 'ocho' and 'otro' respectively.
Carvajal wasn't asking for eight goals, he was asking his team to get another.
"It was a moment in which Hugo Duro has a chance [for Valencia] and I ask the team to be more intense, more aggressive," he explained. "Simply, that we had to score another, as is natural in a football game. I hope no one was offended."
With domestic football currently on hold, Madrid are next back in action on 26 November when they make the trip to Cadiz. Three days later, Napoli arrive at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Champions League under the new management of Walter Mazzarri.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Dani Carvajal clarifies Valencia 'eight goals' controversy on social media.