Five Real Madrid players who have improved under Zinedine Zidane
By Ben Sundock
Fede Valverde
If it wasn’t for Casemiro’s brilliance, Fede Valverde would be Real Madrid’s player of the season. Bursting onto the scene like we have never seen before, the Uruguayan midfielder has been a delight to watch on both ends of the pitch.
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His tireless work rate coupled with his composure and desire to win have quickly made him a fan favorite at the Santiago Bernabéu.
In fact, Valverde has been so good this campaign and so useful to Zidane, he has uprooted Luka Modric and has become the first choice CM over the man that won the Ballon d’Or just a year ago.
Not only has Fede made more appearances in all competitions this season, he has doubled his starts from a year ago, and played 600 more minutes than in 2018/2019. Remember, there are still three full months of football to be played.
Since moving over from Uruguay at age 17, Valverde had not scored or registered an assist. This season, working closely with Toni Kroos, Casemiro, Isco, and Luka Modric, he has two goals and four assists. It is clear that Zizou has found what works with this talented player and big clubs across Europe have started to take notice. At just 21, Fede Valverde could be roaming the Real Madrid midfield for a full decade to come.