Valverde will be Real Madrid‘s second captain this season, although the Uruguayan footballer has long proven his worth and acted as team leader last season. Fede is starting his eighth season with the Whites, with the aim of leading a team that needs to show more attitude and commitment than it did last season.
Valverde, nine years since his arrival at Real Madrid
Federico Valverde arrived at Real Madrid in 2016, nine years ago, from Peñarol, at the age of just 18. He initially joined Castilla, then played on loan at Deportivo de la Coruña, before returning to the first team in October 2018. From the outset, he was seen as a special player, tireless, a fighter, with a spectacular shot that has yet to be fully exploited due to his shyness on the pitch.
A shyness that has been transformed year after year to become the leader he is today. And that leadership and dedication year after year have led him to become the second captain of Real Madrid, behind Dani Carvajal, but with the same importance as the Madrid full-back. Between the two of them, they form the perfect duo to lead the dressing room. One is a home-grown player who has had Madridismo in his blood since birth and represents the club’s values like no one else, fighting with dedication and suffering, while Valverde comes from outside the club but has understood better than anyone what Madridismo means, what it means to defend this shirt, and the demands that must be met in every game. The club’s management is confident that the character of both players will rub off on their teammates in the new season.
Valverde was already acting as captain
But for Valverde, the captaincy is an honor for his services, but above all, it is recognition of the work he has been doing for some time, especially last season. The fact that Toni Kroos handed him the shirt and made him heir to the number 8 in his last game was more than just a symbolic gesture; it was giving him the keys to the dressing room, handing him the powers that only great footballers, and especially those at Real Madrid, have the right to wield, thanks to their values off the pitch and especially on it.
We have become accustomed to seeing Valverde give his all in every game and summon superhuman strength in the final minutes. This same effort that we all know so well has also caused him frustration with his teammates for not following his lead and not giving their all on the field, and he has made this known to them.
Valverde and his anger in the locker room
Last season was one to forget for Real Madrid, and one of the things that everyone who followed the Whites’ games saw was also seen by Valverde on the pitch. A lack of attitude, a lack of fight, and a lack of collective commitment. There were many times when the Uruguayan entered the dressing room raising his voice, reproaching his teammates for their lack of attitude and lack of effort on the pitch. His anger often had an effect on his teammates, but sometimes it didn’t. However, he has never stopped behaving like a leader, like a fighter, and he doesn’t hesitate to rally his teammates to go one step further in every game, not only by showing his dissatisfaction in the dressing room, but also with his attitude on the pitch.
Valverde is making his debut as captain of Real Madrid, but he is no stranger to leadership, having earned his stripes season after season. However, he will now be responsible for wearing the armband when Carvajal is not playing, and the Uruguayan is more than committed to such an important responsibility.