If one thing can sum up Real Madrid over the last number of seasons, it's injuries. Starting with the 2020/21 season, not a season has gone by where Real Madrid haven't had one or more of their key players suffer some sort of injury whether it be a long-term injury of just a week-long injury.
David Alaba, Eder Militao, Dani Carvajal, and Thibaut Courtois have all suffered ACL injury in recent years, with other players like Jude Bellingham suffering a shoulder injury requiring surgery and a lengthy stay on the sidelines.
However, one player who has managed to stay healthy during all these injury riddled seasons is Fede Valverde. The Uruguayan may have suffered a slight knock or two but he hasn't seen any long-term stints on the sidelines recovering from an injury.
This may come as a surprise given Valverde plays almost every game every season. However, it seems that may have finally caught up to him just days before Real's La Liga season is set to begin.
Real Madrid dealt another major injury blow just days before season opener
As being reported by Arancha Rodriguez, Fede Valverde won't play in Real Madrid's final preseason game against WSG Tirol due to an overload. This could put his availability for the La Liga season opener on August 19th up in the air.
He could very well start for Real Madrid, but an overload could mean Real Madrid may not risk the player in the first match of the season.
Valverde was the workhorse for Real Madrid last season, playing 6,116 minutes across 72 matches. He rarely missed a minute and even after the month off following the Club World Cup it is understandable that the midfielder is not yet fully fit.
If the Club World Cup was an appetizer for the 25/26 season, Valverde is going to be a key player in Xabi Alonso's system, and having him start the season injured, could be a bad omen for Real Madrid going forward.