Real Madrid: Top 5 performances from 3-1 win over Barcelona

Real Madrid CM Fede Valverde

Real Madrid center midfielder Fede Valverde left the game just before the 70th minute after having given his all in yet another big match. Valverde, despite being under the age of 23, seems to have his best performances in the biggest matches. He was the Man of the Match in a Clasico last season and the Man of the Match in the Derbi win in the Spanish Supercup Final.

Valverde was one of the Men of the Match on Saturday afternoon at the Camp Nou, running Barcelona ragged. For a third straight game, Valverde impressed fans of Los Merengues by bossing the highly-priced – and, yes, very talented – Frenkie de Jong for a third straight Clasico.

The young Uruguayan drew a couple of fouls, scored the opening goal with a Robert Lewandowski-esque finish into the far corner by using the curve of his foot expertly from a wide-right shot, and played well defensively with two tackles and two interceptions.

Valverde’s all-around game is sometimes easy to miss amidst all the praise for his running and athleticism, but his technical quality is lovely to see. This is a midfielder who can be a good secondary goal-scorer for Real Madrid one day. He does a lot box-to-box, but he also does a lot in the opposition’s box.