Real Madrid star center midfielder Fede Valverde didn't necessarily have a terrible 2025/26 La Liga season, but he had a very uneven one that was disappointing overall. Since Real's double in the 2023/24 campaign, Fede, like several of his teammates, has failed to progress in his development and has even regressed.
At a time when he should be one of the best center midfielders in the world and an example of a leader akin to what Steven Gerrard was to Liverpool, Valverde was in the headlines for all the wrong reasons throughout the 2025/26 campaign, first throwing tantrums at manager Xabi Alonso and then later fighting with Aurelien Tchouameni in the locker room.
All of that aside, Valverde hasn't been at his best on the pitch either. There are flashes of him being a top three midfielder in the world in games like the Champions League knockout blowout victory over an otherwise on fire Manchester City in which Valverde bagged a hat trick and was untouchable. And then there are other matches when Valverde is a liability in midfield, hot potatoing the ball and struggling to lead by example without Jude Bellingham.
Fede Valverde used to be even more important to Real Madrid
Fede Valverde is a player Jose Mourinho has to get back on track this season, because every Real Madrid fan knows he is capable of so much more on a week to week basis than what he has been showing lately, especially looking at how horrendous he was for Uruguay at the World Cup this summer.
Part of what Mourinho needs to do is grab Valverde by the shoulders, stare him down, and get him to see what he is and what he isn't. Too often, Valverde is trying to be the next Toni Kroos and play like a traditional midfielder, holding possession and pulling the strings, but he is not that kind of player in skill set. Valverde has great technique as a shooter, but nobody would call him an elegant passer of the ball or a human metronome like Andrea Pirlo.
No, Valverde is a Rock'N'Roller, a crasher, a slasher, and an elite No. 8 on the right hand side of the midfield almost in a hybrid RM role. It's why Real Madrid have won big games with him on the right wing - or even a right back - in the Champions League.
Valverde needs to split wide, charge up and down the pitch, and support the rest of the team in that capacity, which will, in turn, help the forwards, right back, and the rest of the midfield. Jose Mourinho needs to let Valverde be the all action Roadrunner again instead of pretending to be a regista.
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