Valverde faces a historic opportunity at Real: Becoming the new "big brother", Coach Alonso raises his level

At a time of generational change at Real Madrid, when "veterans" like Luka Modric and Lucas Vazquez step back, Federico Valverde predicts a historic step forward link in GaVang TV  

Chance to take the captain's armband at Real Madrid

With the departure of Modric and Vazquez in the summer of 2025, only Carvajal is ahead of Valverde in the captaincy order at Real Madrid. The Uruguayan star is 26 and will turn 27 on July 22. This is a very good age for Valverde to move towards his dream of having an important voice in the dressing room of the Royal Spanish team.

Carvajal is 33 years old and has only 1 year left on his contract with Real Madrid. This means that the Spanish defender will have difficulty maintaining his professional skills. "Los Blancos" are probably also preparing for the day to say goodbye to Carvajal, thereby handing the captain's armband to Valverde.

From a shy boy in Montevideo (Uruguay) to the heart of Real Madrid's midfield, Valverde has never stopped improving. Each season has become a new step up the ladder and now it is the ladder called "leader" at the Bernabeu.

Valverde is an indispensable factor at Real Madrid. In the "Los Blancos" dressing room, Valverde is considered a bridge between generations. He has absorbed the quintessence from the trio Casemiro - Modric - Kroos. No one other than Valverde is worthy of inheriting the number 8 shirt left by Kroos.

Eternal energy source

On the pitch, Valverde can do it all. He plays in all positions, from right-back, winger, defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder. Coach Ancelotti even said that Valverde can play center back.

Last season, Valverde was the only player in the Real Madrid squad to surpass the 5,000-minute mark, with 5,029 minutes in 59 matches. He far surpassed other pillars of "Los Blancos" such as Kylian Mbappe (4,607 minutes) and Jude Bellingham (4,346 minutes).

Valverde's persistence is a testament to his irreplaceable role at the Bernabeu, although the price he paid was a back injury. This is also the first injury the 1998-born star has to face in the 2024/25 season.

Valverde's injury is not serious. However, this still gives coach Marcelo Bielsa a headache, as the Uruguayan national team is about to meet Paraguay (June 6) and Venezuela (June 11) in the qualifying round.World Cup 2026.

Real Madrid's 5 million euro bargain

On July 22, 2016, Real Madrid brought Valverde from Penarol for only 5 million euros. Up to now, according to Transfermarkt, the Uruguayan star has reached a value of up to 130 million euros. That makes him the 8th most valuable player in the world today.

Of course, Valverde's value is measured in concrete numbers. The 2024/25 season saw Valverde lead Real Madrid in completed passes (3,122), passes into the final third (1,070) and interceptions (70).

Not only that, Valverde ranked second in tackles (95) and recoveries (257). The 1998-born star is not the main scorer of "Los Blancos", but he ranked 5th at Real Madrid in shots (85) and 6th in shots on target (29).

Valverde also had 9 goals and 8 assists last season. All these statistics show that he is an all-round midfielder, present in every hot spot on the pitch.

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Bright future under coach Alonso

The arrival of new coach Xabi Alonso promises to take Valverde to new heights. With Alonso's attacking, high-pressure, fast-paced style of football, Valverde seems to be "tailored" for this system.

Valverde not only has impressive football skills, but this player also possesses an uncompromising fighting spirit. With the addition of Huijsen and Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid's defense, Valverde will focus on his strong role in the center of midfield, instead of having to "put out the fire" for other positions like last season.

Next season, Valverde is expected to find his best form again. Surely the star nicknamed "The Falcon" will continue to be one of Xabi Alonso's pillars as he was under Ancelotti.