When Real Madrid dramatically turned around and won the cup match against Villarreal, 3-2, on January 19, Aurélien Tchouaméni was in Paris. Instead of watching his teammates battle to reach a quarter-final, the midfielder, who was injured, chose to watch an NBA game in his home country.

It was something that the 23-year-old received criticism for and now he chooses to lie down after what happened.

– The truth is that I know that Real Madrid is the best club in the world and the demands are high and that there is a lot of pressure. My trip to Paris was a mistake on my part. But I’m young and it won’t happen again, he says according to Get French Football News.

Tchouaméni has made 24 competitive appearances for his club team this season. Real Madrid will face Al-Hilal in the final of the Club World Cup on Saturday.