It is funny to look back on what the Spanish media said about Fede Valverde in the summer of 2024 after Toni Kroos had officially retired as a Champions League winner from Real Madrid. There were people legitimately calling Fede the heir to Kroos and stating that the Uruguayan international would be able to improve his game as a true center midfielder into more of a playmaking, tempo setting type of player.
But all his career since breaking out as a regular starter under Zinedine Zidane in the 2019/20 La Liga season, Valverde has been the epitoem of a box to box player, doing his best work as a wide right sided center midfielder in a 4-3-3 or even as a starting right winger. He was the main right winger in the 2021/22 season when he won his first Champions League title, stepping in for a subpar Marco Asensio in that position.
Valverde's own development, though, has stagnated these past couple of seasons, and after making more headlines as a coach killer for both Xabi Alonso and Marcelo Bielsa in 2025 and 2026, the captain has started the 2026/27 La Liga season very poorly as Real's worst overall midfielder; he is on the verge of formally losing his job to new veteran signing Bernardo Silva.
Fede Valverde can't set the tempo in midfield
Many had hoped that Real Madrid would be getting a new leader in Fede Valverde and that the coveted center midfielder would fully step in as a world class center midfielder and a true center midfielder in that regard.
But Madridistas are seeing the real side of Fede, even if Jose Mourinho and the club are still playing Fede as a traditional center midfielder and in double pivots, failing to acknowledge that Fede is the antithesis of a Luka Modric or Toni Kroos type.
That's not to say Fede is not a great player, but he is not someone like Kroos or Modric who can control the game, run the pitch, and create chances while holding down the game in possession. Fede Valverde is a roadrunner, not a technician in the sense of passing and retaining possession, because while he has great technique with power shots, he's not a finesse player, nor is he a traditional playmaker or game manager.
Real Madrid need to realize that trying to get Fede to play like Kroos or Modric is not the ansewr, and if the player himself still thinks he can succeed as that, it's time for him to get a harsh reality check from Mr. Mourinho himself.
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