Real Madrid star makes honest admission after ending goal drought

Real Madrid booked their place in the Club World Cup final with a 4-1 win over Al Ahly in the semis. The scoreline does not tell the entire story of the match, as it was pretty close for a long while. Vinicius Jr, Federico Valverde, Rodrygo and Sergio Arribas were on the scoresheet for Los Blancos on the day. That seems like a peek into the future of the club.

One player who must have been particularly happy to score on the day is Valverde. The Uruguayan international was in the conversation for the best midfielders in the world with his performances early on in the season. But there has certainly been a downturn in form after the World Cup.

This was Valverde’s first goal since early November, when he had found the back of the net against Celtic in the last group stage match of this Champions League campaign. That is a long time without a goal for someone who seemed to be scoring almost every week in September and October.

Valverde seemed a combination of delighted and relieved at having scored again. As reported by Football Espana, he said:

"“(I am) very happy. I’ve felt more comfortable despite playing so many matches. I have thought about valuing every moment of this tournament. I’m very happy for the team’s performance, obviously.“I thank my teammates who have been helping me at this time when I have been struggling. They are always there to give me words of encouragement. It was very special to score the goal and celebrate with them. We now have to rest and work well to win the final.”"

Real Madrid star makes honest admission after ending goal drought vs Al Ahly

If Real Madrid are to be successful this season, then they will need Valverde to be performing at his best.

Despite his goal drought over the past few months, Valverde has remained an important part of the starting XI throughout. In fact, there has only been one match this season, in which he has not played any part. That’s how important the Uruguayan midfielder is to Carlo Ancelotti’s plans.

Real Madrid will now be taking on Al-Hilal in the final of the Club World Cup at the weekend, and hopefully, they will be successful in adding some silverware to their cabinet.