Three Real Madrid players with a limitless ceiling

Federico Valverde

I want to call Luka Modric ‘The Engine that Could’ because the Croatian works tirelessly match after match to hold together the team.

In a decade with Real Madrid, he has changed the narrative from ‘overpriced, flop signing’ to arguably one of the most influential and talented midfielders the club has seen in its history.

Do you know how hard it is to hold down a starting spot in the Real Madrid squad for nearly a decade? All while playing for a handful of managers all with different styles and plans?

Los Blancos struck gold with the signing of Modric from Tottenham Hotspur all those years ago, and I think it is already safe to say they have done it again with Uruguayan Federico Valverde.

Valverde announced himself to the world during the 2019/2020 season under Zinedine Zidane with his two goals and five assists. But he has remained as a ‘super-sub’ for the last year and a half, begging the question, is he ready to become a starter at the club? Or, is he willing to wait?

Valverde has the work rate, foot skills, strength, and awareness to be elite for years to come and the club has done well to identify his quality. There is a reason the 23-year-old signed an extension with the club through 2027 and has a buyout clause of $1 billion.

Valverde is a tenacious midfielder who, like Modric, seems to have endless energy. He can push forward to join the attack just as easily as he can track back to defend.

His talent is not lost on the national team, either. Valverde has 35 caps over the last five years and has started 11 2022 World Cup Qualifier matches.

Patience is a virtue. Sitting behind Toni Kroos and Luka Modric is beneficial for the development of a young, impressionable player like Fede Valverde. His maturity and work rate will be even more important once he is a regular starter. Just wait.