"The worst part is that she was right" – When Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde admitted his wife pointed out key flaw in his game

Earlier last year, Real Madrid star Federico Valverde opened up on how his partner Mina Bonino had highlighted a shortcoming in the midfielder's game back in 2019.

During the 2018-19 campaign, Los Merengues locked horns with Ajax at the UEFA Champions League last-16 stage. They recorded a 2-1 away victory in the first leg before losing 4-1 at home in the second leg.

Valverde, who was a 20-year-old back then, came on as a substitute in the second half of the continental clash at Santiago Bernabeu. He struggled to impress during his cameo similar to most of his teammates.

Recalling the UEFA Champions League night in March 2019, Valverde shared one of his memories in his column for The Player's Tribune past year. He revealed (h/t Africa Top Sports):

"Mina? She is on another level! She knows the game well and she is Argentinian... and you know how they are. Whatever I do, it's never enough. Remember when Ajax knocked us out of the Champions League? We got into the car after the match, and I was fuming, and the first thing she said: 'Really, Fede? Are you serious? What was that? That's how you are going to play for Real Madrid?'"

Asserting that his wife was correct about her assessment of his failure to register a number of shots in the match, the Uruguayan concluded:

"I said, 'You think I don't know?' She said, 'You didn't risk anything. You have to shoot. It's the strongest part of your game.' Man, I had to crank the volume knob all the way up to drown out her analysis. The worst part – and I would never tell her this, so I hope she is not reading — the worst part is that she was right. Damn."

Valverde, 25, has scored 19 goals and registered 18 assists in 228 overall outings for Real Madrid, helping them lift nine trophies so far.

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti states club will not sign centre-back this January

During a recent press conference, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti confirmed that his club have no plans to sign a new centre-back amid injuries to two stars. He said (h/t The Athletic):

"I repeat: yes. We are not going to sign [a centre-back]."

The La Liga outfit, who are atop the 2023-24 league standings with 45 points from 18 games, lost Eder Militao to an anterior cruciate ligament injury last August. They lost David Alaba to the same issue last month.

Over the last couple of weeks, Real Madrid have allegedly been linked with a host of centre-backs. Goncalo Inacio, Antonio Silva, Giorgio Scalvini, and Leny Yoro are some of the targets, as per multiple reports.