Patrice Evra group stage matches as Monaco finished in first place. For his performances in the first half of the 2003–04 season, Evra was linked with a 2004 winter move to English club Arsenal, Italian clubs Juventus and Milan, and Spanish club Barcelona. After appearing consistently with the team, on 24 March 2004, Evra suffered an ankle injury in the club's 4–2 first leg defeat to Spanish club Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Evra subsequently missed two weeks in the league, but was healthy enough to return for the team's second leg quarter-final tie against Madrid, which Monaco
History of the France national football team captain Patrice Evra, agreed to send Anelka home. The following day, Evra got into a heated confrontation with team trainer Robert Duverne with the latter having to be restrained by Domenech. The resulting confrontation led to the players returning to the team bus and cancelling practice. The team's managing director, Jean-Louis Valentin, announced his resignation from his position and the federation the same day stating he was "sickened and disgusted" by the actions of the team. The team, through Domenech, later released a statement criticising the federation for sending Anelka home based on reports from the media. The federation responded