At 27 years of age, Federico Valverde is well on his way to securing legend status at Real Madrid. Since departing boyhood club Peñarol in 2016, Valverde has gone from plying his trade for Real Madrid Castilla
to cutting his teeth on loan at Deportivo, to winning three La Liga titles, two FIFA Club World Cups, two UEFA Champions League titles, two UEFA Super Cups, and a Copa del Rey.
He has staked his claim as one of the best box-to-box midfielders of his generation, capable of chipping in with vital contributions in the final third as well as getting back and helping out on defense. And with nearly 350 appearances for Real Madrid, all signs point to Valverde going down as one of the greatest South Americans to ever play in LaLiga.
This season, Valverde has taken on more responsibility than ever before, both on and off the pitch. Out of his 16 appearances this season, he’s worn the captain’s armband in 11 of them. Forced to graduate from a shuttling dynamo role to a midfield maestro who is tasked with organizing possession following the exit of Toni Kroos, Valverde looked set to be entrusted with even more importance in midfield after Luka Modrić’s departure this past summer. Instead, he’s finding himself having to play in a somewhat unfamiliar role.
After an impressive start to the campaign which saw him make the most of his stamina and ball progression skills in his typical midfield role – assisting in three of four LaLiga matches – Valverde struggled to impose himself in a 5-2 defeat to Atlético Madrid on September 27, before watching from the bench in a 5-0 win vs. Kairat Almaty. With both of Real’s right backs in Dani Carvajal and Trent Alexander-Arnold unavailable, Valverde was forced to deputize out of position and start the next seven matches on the right side of Real Madrid’s back four, before finally getting a well-deserved breather on Sunday. Instead, Xabi Alonso went with a makeshift 3-4-1-2 formation, one far more similar to his all-encompassing Bayer Leverkusen side.
Desperate for an equalizer following Aleix Febas’ opening goal, Alonso subbed Valverde on in the 57th minute vs. Elche alongside Vinícius Júnior and Eduardo Camavinga. Whilst Real Madrid managed to come away with a 2-2 draw, Valverde struggled to cover himself in glory. And as his ex-club teammate and compatriot Álvaro Rodríguez raced forward and slotted Elche’s second goal into the back of the net, Valverde nonchalantly jogged back and didn’t make any effort to stop him – despite having rested the majority of the match. Compared to the referee Francisco Hernandez Maeso, Valverde may as well have been running in quicksand.
It gave the impression of a player who has been burdened with fixture congestion and whose versatility is starting to come at a cost of his ability to replicate his world-class performances on a consistent basis. Whereas Valverde has played at right back in the past, it has always been as a stopgap option rather than the full-fledged starter in defense. And with Alexander-Arnold now inching his way back to full fitness, it begs the question: is it time for Alonso to move Valverde back to his preferred midfield role?
“I thought he was one of the best right backs in the world last year, but that’s obviously not his best position. Having Fede Valverde influence the game closer to the opposition’s box is much better than having him at right back,” stated Golazo Show host Nico Cantor. “Trent Alexander-Arnold finally coming back is going to help Valverde lift his level, because he has dropped off this season.
“I think Xabi Alonso is still figuring his squad out, because he hasn’t always had the likes of Aurélien Tchouaméni, Eduardo Camavinga, Jude Bellingham and Arda Güler fit, so how do you fit Valverde into there? It’s a big jigsaw puzzle that Alonso has been hired to figure out. It would be a shame if he doesn’t recover the excellent form that Valverde has consistently shown for so many years. It feels like if Real Madrid wants to accomplish big things, Valverde and also Rodrygo will step up, they’re the unsung heroes of so many epic Real Madrid moments. Valverde is a player that Real Madrid need to call upon in order to get the most out of him; when he plays well, Real are tough to beat.”
Whilst he hasn’t been anywhere near his best this season, Federico Valverde remains a world-class contributor for Real Madrid who still has plenty of years left in his prime. He’s built up more than enough credit in the bank for Madridistas to believe that this is more of a blip as opposed to a permanent drop in quality. And with a contract until 2029, he still has plenty of time left to turn around his situation and earn the biggest payday of his entire career. But first things first, he needs to look himself in the mirror and figure out what needs to change in order to guide Real back to winning ways.
If Real Madrid are to put an end to their three-match winless streak – their longest drought in eight months – then they’ll need Valverde to step up and deliver with a top-class performance at Olympiacos on Wednesday. The only question is: will he be at right back or central midfield?
