Federico Valverde’s transformation in recent months has been extraordinary as he might very well be Real Madrid’s best player at this point of time. The Uruguayan had always been very highly rated for his abilities, but now, he has added goals to his game as well.
Carlo Ancelotti had set him a target of ten goals for the campaign. Well, Valverde is already at seven by the end of October and unless his form dips unexpectedly, he is expected to surpass that mark easily, might potentially even double it.
It is hard to believe that he scored just one goal last season. This season, he has most probably been the best long-range shooter on the planet. Anytime the Uruguayan takes a pop from distance, the ball seems destined for the back of the net.
Valverde has admitted though that when he arrived at Real Madrid, he seemed out of place. As reported by Marca, recalling his first day at the club, the Uruguayan said in an interview with DirecTV:
"“I was nervous and embarrassed.“Sometimes I wondered if I was in the wrong place, I felt inferior to the rest of my teammates. I didn’t know if I was good enough, but in the end I started to believe it after winning so many things. I feel part of a team and I’ve proved I’m up to the task.”"
Valverde makes honest Real Madrid admission
Since then, Valverde has been on quite the journey and established himself as an undroppable at Real Madrid this season.
What is more impressive is the fact that he has been played out of position a lot. Naturally a midfielder, he has featured on the wing on several occasions. But he has not let that drop his performances though. Instead, Valverde has found a way to perform at a very high level there as well. Thus, his versatility is a huge positive for Carlo Ancelotti.
At the moment, Valverde seems to be suffering with a bit of an injury though, having picked up a knock vs Sevilla. He missed the game against RB Leipzig in midweek, which Real Madrid lost, and is a doubt for the upcoming clash against Girona as well.