Who is Federico Valverde? 10 Facts About Real Madrid Star

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10 Quick Facts About Federico Valverde

Full Name: Federico Santiago Valverde Dipetta
Date of Birth: July 22, 1998
Place of Birth: Montevideo, Uruguay
Nationality: Uruguayan
Parents: Julio and Doris Valverde
Position: Central midfielder
Teams: Real Madrid / Uruguay
Sibling: Diego Valverde
Net Worth: $2 million
Honours: The Uruguayan Primera División in 2015–16; La Liga in 2019–20 and 2021–22; the Supercopa de Espaa in 2019–20 and 2021–22; the UEFA Champions League in 2021–22; the UEFA Super Cup in 2022; the FIFA Club World Cup in 2018; the FIFA U-20 World Cup Silver Ball in 2017; and the UEFA LaLiga Revelation Team of the Year in 2019–20.

Who is Federico Valverde?

Federico Valverde is a professional footballer from Uruguay who now plays for Real Madrid in Spain as well as the national team of Uruguay. He holds the position of central midfielder for both teams.

The 22nd of July, 1998 was the day he was born. In addition to being a versatile player who can play defensive midfielder, right winger, or right defender positions, he is well-known for his speed, work rate, and stamina. He is better recognised by his given name, Federico Valverde.

Both Federico and his older brother, Diego, are the only children their parents ever had. Like any typical last child, Frederico was the type to demand something and then see to it right away. His early childhood inspired a dream to play football professionally. Except for a ball, he has no other toy requests. His dad had bolted a makeshift goalpost into the wall of the family room when he was just 2 years old. He was a daily goal scorer.

One of his aliases was Fade. And by the time he was three, he couldn’t bury his undeniable passion for football. As part of his pursuit of a well-rounded education, he signed up for a football team.

The Estudiantes de la Unión gave 5-year-old Federico a chance to play in the academy setting normally reserved for children aged 6 and above, and he promptly won his first championship at that age. In the long run, this boosted his chances of acceptance to a prestigious academy.

What We Know About Federico Valverde’s Career

During his early professional years, he worked primarily with Penarol, where he immediately built a name for himself. In Penarol’s season opener against Cerro, he played his first game. Since joining the Uruguayan youth team, he has drawn interest from several top clubs, including Arsenal, Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Barcelona.

Transferring from Penarol to Real Madrid in 2016, he immediately joined the club’s reserve team. His first season saw him settle into a middling role on the second team. On December 16, 2016, he netted his first goal for Castilla as his team faced Albacete. Two months later, against Real Union, he made his Castilla debut in a game that his team ultimately lost.

During the 2017–18 season, he spent a year on loan with Deportivo de La Coruna of La Liga. His transfer was official on June 22, 2017 and lasted until June 22, 2018. Despite making 24 appearances for his team in the league, Federico Valverde’s squad was relegated at the end of the season.

After a successful loan stint, he was called up to the main squad by new manager Julen Lopetegui for the 2018–19 campaign. At the age of 20, Federico Valverde made his Real Madrid debut in the UEFA Champions League Group Stage match against Viktoria Plzen at the Bernabéu in October 2018. During his rookie year with the main team, he made 25 appearances and won the FIFA Club World Cup.

While Marcos Llorente left the team and Zinedine Zidane returned as manager for the 2019–2022 season, Federico Valverde emerged as an important cog in the machine. In a 4-0 La Liga away victory over Eibar, he scored his first goal for Real Madrid.

In the January 2020 Supercopa de Espaa Final versus Atlético Madrid, he made a crucial tackle to prevent an Atlético Madrid goal by Alvaro Morata. The clear opportunity for Alvaro Morata to score was thwarted by his professional foul. Although he was ultimately dismissed for his actions, they ultimately led to a winning penalty shootout and the Man of the Match award for Real Madrid as well as widespread online accolades. He made 33 appearances for Real Madrid during the 2019/2020 La Liga season, which they won.

At the end of the 2020/21 season, he was named the La Liga’s “Man of the Match” after helping his team to a 3-2 victory away against Betis. For Los Blancos, he was playing in his 50th La Liga game.

On August 24, 2021, Federico Valverde extended his contract to run through 2027. On January 12th, 2022, he scored Real Madrid’s third goal.

He set up the winning goal for Vinicius in Real Madrid’s 1-0 victory over Liverpool in the Champions League final, giving the club its 14th UEFA Champions League title.

After leading Uruguay to a fourth-place finish in the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup, Federico Valverde was presented with a Silver Ball for his efforts. He made his Uruguay national team debut on September 5, 2017, and scored his first international goal the following month after being called up in August 2017.

Federico Valverde was named to the Uruguayan national football team for the 2021 Copa America, which was held in June 2021.