During the last few matches, several footballers from FC Barcelona have worn white bandages on their wrists. A common detail in modern soccer that, however, has caught the attention of some sectors in Real Madrid's media environment.
Statements Without Direct Accusations
The first to speak out was Niko Mihic, former head of Real Madrid's medical services. In an interview with the newspaper Marca, he hinted that the bandages could be related to easy venous access, although he didn't mention names or provide evidence. He said verbatim:
"Any doctor knows that if you want easy venous access, it's in the hands and wrists."
He also compared the use of bandages to other practices in an ironic tone. He even mentioned the Negreira case, although it was unrelated to the context of his medical comment.
Other public figures linked to Madridism reinforced that message. The panelist Kiko Matamoros, for example, expressed on television and social media his "surprise" at the physical performance of some Barça players. In a tweet, he insinuated that certain performance improvements were, at the very least, striking.
Paco Buyo, former Real Madrid goalkeeper, also pointed out the physical changes of the blaugrana players. In his intervention, he said that
"some have gone from being skinny to looking like Rambos" and that "they run twice as much as last year."
Without Data or Formal Complaints
What unites these interventions is that none of them present evidence or specific cases. There are no public complaints or open investigations by sports authorities. Rather, they are indirect insinuations repeated in media and platforms with wide reach.
The practice of bandaging wrists is neither new nor exclusive to Barça. Karim Benzema, for instance, played several seasons with a bandage on his hand without it generating suspicion. He himself explained that he did it out of superstition.
This surge in comments coincides with one of Barça's best moments in the last decade. The team has just won the Copa del Rey, is a semifinalist in the Champions League, and has once again shown high-level soccer. Most of its protagonists are young players trained in the youth academy.
There has been no official response from the blaugrana club. Instead, they have chosen to focus on sports performance and not fuel a debate they consider artificial. Among the players who have worn these bandages are Lamine Yamal, Gavi, Raphinha, and Lewandowski.
Repeated Context
This type of rumor is not new. In the past, Lionel Messi was also the subject of similar comments. His childhood hormonal treatment was recalled to insinuate physical advantages, even though it was a legal and documented process.
Today, the focus is not on a single player, but on a group. A group of young players who have managed to make a clear physical and technical leap. And who are competing on equal terms with Europe's greats.
There are no formal accusations, but there is a campaign of noise. Barça has decided not to respond, at least for now. They prefer to let soccer speak.
At the core, what causes unease is not the bandages. It's that this Barça is winning again, and that—once again—is hard to accept in some corners.
