Fede Valverde racked up his 150th appearance for Real Madrid in the away triumph over Almería in the team’s LaLiga opener. The youngster was promoted from Castilla in 2017 and spent his 2017-18 season on a loan deal in La Coruna, which helped him a lot to get familiar with the top tier league. The madridista midfielder reaches this milestone in his fifth season as a member of the first-team squad, with whom he has featured an impressive of 98 wins and netted six times.
As for the game, he was one of the best Real Madrid players on the pitch. The Uruguayan midfielder carried the most attacking threat in the first half and seemed to have a personal battle with Fernando Martinez as he forced several saves from the Almeria goalkeeper. Valverde made four key passes and also made driving runs forward. He is unstoppable on this form.
The Uruguayan reflected on the win vs Almeria in the following terms: “It was important for us to get our LaLiga campaign off to a winning start. They were tough opponents and are a newly promoted side who play with desire and excitement. It really was a bit of a struggle for us, but we were patient and managed to score twice. We had a lot of chances and knew that the goal could come at any time.”
As Alaba gets his goal: “It’s almost as if he came on just for that. I’m thrilled for him because ever since he arrived he’s shown great character and been a real leader for the young players.”
To celebrate the milestone of 150 appearances he met up with the president Florentino Perez the next day after the victory vs Almeria. The president handed him a Real Madrid shirt with the phrase “150 PARTIDOS” printed on it. Then, they posed together for the press with a smile on their faces.
Fede’s numbers: Last season was Valverde’s most prolific for the club both in terms of games played and victories (46 and 32 respectively). After getting his hands on a first UEFA Super Cup against Eintracht de Frankfurt on Wednesday, the Uruguayan has now won seven titles with Real Madrid: 1 Champions League, 1 Club World Cup, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 2 LaLiga titles and 2 Spanish Super Cups.
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