Half-time interviews have been largely condemned by fans and people in the footballing world, but players and managers have been mostly accommodating in their answers — that was until a microphone was placed in Valencia defender Pablo Maffeo's face.

Maffeo has never needed much encouragement to get under Real Madrid’s skin in the past. From his battles with Vinícius Júnior at Mallorca to his jibes at Jude Bellingham, the full-back has made a habit of stealing the spotlight whenever Los Blancos are in town.

This time, though, it wasn’t a Madrid player on the receiving end. It was a television reporter as he hit back against the unpopular interview format.

Maffeo’s first half at Mestalla had not gone to plan; he was booked for a foul on Kylian Mbappé just outside the box, and when the Frenchman’s free-kick struck the wall, Federico Valverde pounced on the rebound to open the scoring. Arda Güler added a second before the break.

So when DAZN grabbed Maffeo for the customary half-time interview, he was in no mood to talk.

“I don’t feel like doing this interview at all. I think this interview here is rubbish, it’s pointless,” he fumed. “But anyway, that’s that. If we have to do the interview, we do it and that’s it.”

Pressed on what Valencia had been missing, he turned his attention to the referee, insisting the foul that led to the opening goal should never have been given.

”I wish the ref would be a little fairer - I think we were wronged on the first goal, and that affected us," he added.

”Obviously, we need to get into the box more, and we need to improve, but hey, I think the team is competing well, and that’s it.”

The clip spread quickly online, with one viral post declaring: ‘Maffeo just gave the best interview in football history and it’s not AI.’ It was also not the only incident at half-time, as Madrid players have since come under fire following an incident with security guards - but Maffeo's statement has stolen the spotlight.

Maffeo’s statement

Once the dust had settled, Maffeo took to Instagram to explain himself. He wrote: “I’m writing this because I feel the need to clarify what happened during the break.

“First of all, I want to apologize again if anyone took my reaction personally. That was never my intention.

“From the very first moment I was told that I had to do the interview, I made it clear that I didn’t want to do it because I knew I was VERY angry and that it wasn’t the right time for me to express myself.

“Eventually, I was told that it was mandatory and that I had to do it, even though from the beginning my preference was not to do it at that particular moment.

“At the end of the match, I approached the journalist to explain that my reaction wasn’t directed at him. I have a tremendous amount of respect for all the professionals who do their jobs, and he is in no way to blame for what happened.

“I simply wanted to clarify how things happened and make it clear that there was never any intention to disrespect anyone.”

Maffeo did reportedly seek out DAZN reporter Sergio Quirante after full-time to apologise in person, and that the gesture was accepted.

The evening didn’t get any better for Maffeo, or his side, after the break, as Madrid ran out comfortable 3-0 winners as they went level on points with Barcelona prior to their clash with Atlético Madrid.