Marcelo Bielsa has offered high praise for Fede Valverde, highlighting the Real Madrid midfielder’s versatility and influence as one of the defining traits that set him apart at the top level.
Speaking about Uruguay’s captain, Bielsa emphasized his ability to perform across multiple roles and positions without losing effectiveness.
“Valverde is a different player to most of those who play in his position.”
“He plays through the central portions of the pitch the same way as he does from the right or from the left.
In the middle, he can play deeper, or in front of the holding midfielder, or close to the attacking midfielder, and at all three positions he does it without any problem. He has played as a full-back and as a winger, and the last thing that caught everyone’s attention was what he did as a winger.”
Bielsa also pointed to Valverde’s ability to impact games on both flanks.
“He has created decisive actions on the right, but we have also seen him making runs and assists on the left. That makes him different from Pedri and Vitinha, neither of them have that versatility. He is among the best in the world, there is no doubt.”
On individual recognition, Bielsa believes Valverde has the profile to compete for the biggest awards.
“Awards are linked to individual performance, the team he plays in, the teammates he has and the titles he wins. He has all of those elements, but he also has a lot of competition, even within his own team. It is difficult to compete, for example, with Vinicius and Mbappé.”
