Real Madrid blew their 1-0 lead over Real Betis on the road in the last second, with Hector Bellerin sweeping home to deny Los Blancos the full three points as the Merengues sealed their trophyless season with yet another league loss. And though Real Madrid did have quite a few good chances to put Betis away, they were honestly a second rate team in comparison to Betis on this evening, given Andriy Lunin had to bail Madrid out many more times.
There were not too many bright spots, once again, for Real Madrid, but the experienced center midfielder Fede Valverde was one of them. He and Jude Bellingham are the only two superstars at the club who are playing to a proper standard, and though Kylian Mbappe would like to think in his own inflated mind that he is the big man on campus, Valverde is the true leader at the club right now, especially with Thibaut Courtois still injured.
It was Valverde's bomb from the blue that led to Vinicius Junior's well placed tap in that originally gave Real Madrid the lead, and Valverde nearly scored later in the game with another mazy run, only to be let down by the finish.
Fede Valverde has fully bounced back
Fede Valverde started the season poorly under Xabi Alonso, almost ostracized as a right back, with his ensuing frustration even causing some Madridistas to turn against him and lump him in with the likes of Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe, and Franco Mastantuono.
But Valverde is not like those guys at all. He is giving everything for the badge this season and has been highly effective. He was one of the few players to perform well against Real Betis in this Friday night draw on defense, and he also led the team with 76 pass attempts, completing a whopping 93 percent of his offerings.
Now, Valverde was far from perfect. He could have done more offensively to liven up the play and create more chances for the forwards, but given how much he had to work to close up gaps and keep the team ticking over in possession, there is only so much that even the effervescent Fede can do for this team.
There are so many problems with Real Madrid right now. Alvaro Arbeloa is staring down his own dismissal from Florentino Perez, the attacking superstars Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe are clearly not on the same page, and the defense is so disgustingly average that you can hardly comprehend they are the guardians of Madrid in 2026. But at least Valverde, even in poor showings like this draw wiht Betis, is back to being a true top midfielder in world football.
Add us as a preferred source on Google