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He defends and puts in crunching tackles, pounces on every loose ball, has an engine to run for the entirety of 90 minutes, and to show for all his hard work, he also finishes with precision in front of goal. It took a few years to come to fruition but at last Fede Valverde has burst on to the scene at Real Madrid and clicked the right gears in the often laggy Merengues midfield.
At a tender age of 21, Fede Valverde has rightfully cemented his place in Real Madrid’s star-studded starting lineup. It has been a long and tough road for the young and humble South American who began his career at Penarol in his native Uruguay. His talents did not go unseen for long and the shy prodigy quickly progressed through the academy age groups.
Fede Valverde's performances at the U17 World Cup raised eyebrows, and it wasn’t long before Penarol had a list of European suitors barging at their door. Arsenal were the closest to get Fede Valverde's signature but it was Real Madrid who pipped the Gunners in wrapped up the deal.
Fede Valverde almost missed the bus at Real Madrid
The youngster landed in Madrid to get his medical done but was left stranded when the doctors claimed he was malnourished and would not be able to endure the level and intensity of football played in Europe.
But Juni Calafet, the chief international scout of Real Madrid, took personal responsibility for Fede Valverde who allowed the transfer to go through. The faith shown in the youngster at that moment has now started to pay off. The new fan-favourite has put in many 'man of the match' performances as Los Blancos secured their 34th La Liga title.
Who can forget this beauty of a tackle that landed Real Madrid the Spanish Super Cup and Fede Valverde a red card but a MOTM award!
Pure genius!!
Fede Valverde's effect has been so profound on the dynamics of Real Madrid that even Zidane’s long and unrequited love affair with Paul Pogba might need to be kept on hold for a while or they might not even need the Frenchman after all.
The club’s failure to acquire a midfielder in the summer transfer window has been a true blessing in disguise. Zidane’s rotations are beginning to pay dividends, and so far this season Real Madrid have not lost a game in which the Uruguayan midfielder has started.
If Fede Valverde can pull these type of performances more often, then his first-team place is already secured, with the former Ballon d'Or winner Luka Modric’s game-time likely to be sacrificed for the youngster’s development. That also means that the ever-present midfield trio of Toni Kroos, Modric, and Casemiro is no longer untouchable after they have repeatedly come up short against tougher oppositions.
There is a breath of fresh air every time the young midfielder is on the green patch, and Real Madrid look more solid and organised in the centre of the field.
It continues to come as no surprise now when Fede Valverde regularly gets announced in the Merengues starting eleven. The 'Little Bird' as he is known back in his hometown, will only evolve and get better.
