Fede Valverde is having is best season in a Real Madrid shirt this season. The Uruguayan has bagged seven goals and 12 assists, including his sensational hat-trick against Manchester City in the first leg of the round of 16. Many doubted Valverde after a slow start to the season, however one Real Madrid legend has always had Valverde's back, and he knew he'd be one of the best midfielders in the world back when he was only 18-years-old.
Via Mundo Deportivo, Real Madrid midfield legend Clarence Seedorf spoke about his past experience coaching Fede Valverde as a teenager, and he recalled the moment he knew he had a special player on his hands.
Seedorf hails Valverde
Seedorf went on to detail his time with Valverde, showering the midfielder with nothing put praise saying:
"I coached him when he was 18. In the first 15 minutes, we worked on possession, and I asked my assistant, ‘Who is that kid?’ ‘Valverde—what’s up with him?’Clarence Seedorf
I told him, ‘Do me a favour: put him on the starting 11 list for the next game. We’ll decide on the other 10 later. His talent was so obvious. He wasn’t what he is today, but his potential was incredible. I’m very proud of him"
Valverde spent the 2017/18 season on loan at Deportivo La Coruña where Seedorf was the manager, and for a player like Seedorf to spot his talent at such a young age is a testament to the kind of player the Uruguayan is. In hindsight that season on loan has proven to be a crucial year in Valverde's career as he has developed into one of the best midfielders in the world, using the teachings from the Dutchman.
We can see the teachings of Seedorf in Valverde still to this day, covering every blade of grass and dictating games from the midfield, similar to the impact Seedorf had at Los Blancos back in the day. Valverde struggled early in the season under Xabi Alonso but seems to have found himself again under Alvaro Arbeloa, stepping up big for Real Madrid when it matters most, and is proving to be just as important to the team as the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Thibaut Courtois.