Real Madrid center midfielder Fede Valverde has received his official suspension for the red card in the Spanish Supercup final, and it’s safe to say Madridistas are more than OK with the punishment.
Fede Valverde has been one of the best box-to-box midfielders in Europe over the past couple of months, but the Real Madrid youngster became an overnight sensation after his Man of the Match performance in Los Blancos’ Spanish Supercup final triumph over crosstown rivals Atletico Madrid.
Even before the incident that had everyone talking, Valverde was the best player on the pitch, putting his heart and soul into yet another rivalry matchup. But Valverde sealed his status as the match’s best player when he chased down Alvaro Morata. The former Real prospect was through on goal, but Valverde hit him with a slide tackle from behind just before he reached the penalty box.
The tackle saved a goal, started a squabble between players, resulted in an obvious red card, created plenty of controversy, and led to Atletico manager Diego Simeone effusively praising Real’s next superstar midfielder.
All in a day’s work, right?
Valverde has been officially suspended for the red card incident, as the booking will carry over into La Liga contests. Fans were unsure if Valverde would get a one or a three-game suspension, but the Spanish Football Federation, via Managing Madrid’s Lucas Navarrete, has confirmed that it will be a one-game suspension for the 21-year-old.
This means Valverde will miss Saturday’s clash against Sevilla but will be back for the following week’s matchup against Real Valladolid.
Real Madrid fans are undoubtedly OK with this news. While Valverde’s absence against Sevilla could hurt the team, especially with Sergio Ramos out due to injury and Karim Benzema in doubt with a hamstring issue, the Supercup trophy win and a day of rest for Valverde make up for it. A one-game suspension is manageable, whereas three, which would have included El Derbi on Feb. 1, would have hurt a lot.
Valverde will be missed, since Real look significantly less stable without him on the pitch. But they’ll have to learn how to cope without Valverde’s energy in midfield, so it will be interesting to see how Zinedine Zidane arranges his midfield against Sevilla without the star man.