Federico Valverde

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23 Mar 2024

Federico Valverde

Federico Santiago Valverde Dipetta, born on 22 July 1998, is a prominent Uruguayan footballer known for his versatility and exceptional skills. Valverde currently plies his trade as a central midfielder for Real Madrid in La Liga, where he has earned recognition as one of the premier midfielders globally. His attributes include pace, stamina, work rate, and impressive shooting ability. Although primarily deployed as a central midfielder, Valverde is also adept at playing as a defensive midfielder, right-winger, and occasionally as a right-back.

Valverde commenced his professional journey with Penarol in 2015, immediately tasting success by clinching the Uruguayan Primera División title in his debut season. In 2016, he made a significant move to Real Madrid, initially featuring for the club's reserve team before earning a spot in the first team. Since his debut in 2017, Valverde has amassed over 150 appearances for Real Madrid, contributing to the team's achievements, which include two La Liga titles, two FIFA Club World Cups, a UEFA Champions League triumph, a UEFA Super Cup victory, and the Copa del Rey.
On the international stage, Valverde made his debut for the Uruguay national team in 2017. He has since represented his country in major tournaments such as the 2019 Copa América, the 2021 Copa América, and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Valverde's performances have earned him accolades, including the FIFA Club World Cup Silver Ball award in 2022 and selection in the La Liga Team of the Season for 2023.

Federico Santiago Valverde Dipetta was born on July 22, 1998, in Unión, a neighborhood located in the capital city of Montevideo. He is the son of Julio Valverde and Doris Dipetta. Federico has one older brother named Diego and two step-brothers, Pablo and Matías Castro.
Valverde's heritage encompasses Spanish and Italian ancestry. In 2020, he obtained Spanish citizenship and was naturalized as a Spanish citizen after receiving his Spanish passport.
His football journey began in his local neighborhood club, Estudiantes de la Union, during his youth. He later auditioned for Penarol, where he caught the attention of scout Néstor Gonçalves, marking the start of his professional career.

Valverde completed a transfer from Peñarol to Real Madrid. Initially, he was assigned to their reserve team, Castilla. Two months after joining, he made his debut for Castilla in a match against Real Unión, although his team suffered a defeat. Throughout his debut season, Valverde became a regular member of the Castilla lineup, showcasing his talent. He scored his first goal for Castilla in a match against Albacete in December 2016.
Santiago Solari, who was Valverde's coach at Castilla, expressed his satisfaction with the player performance on January 29, 2017, saying, I'm very happy with him. He has adapted very well to the club and country. Valverde always generates a lot of football in midfield," highlighting the midfielder growing importance to the team.

Throughout the 2019–20 season, with Zinedine Zidane's return as manager and the departure of Marcos Llorente, Valverde emerged as a key player for Real Madrid. On November 9, 2019, he scored his debut goal for the club in a 4–0 away victory against Eibar in La Liga.
Valverde's impactful moment came during the Supercopa de España Final against Atlético Madrid on January 12, 2020, where he made a crucial tackle on Álvaro Morata, halting a clear goal-scoring opportunity. Despite being sent off, his action led to a penalty shootout, which Real Madrid won, earning him the Man of the Match award and widespread acclaim.

During the 2020–21 season, Valverde continued to impress. He scored Real Madrid's first goal of the season in a 3–2 win against Betis and netted against Barcelona at the Camp Nou in a 3–1 victory, becoming just the second Uruguayan to score in El Clásico.
On August 24, 2021, Valverde extended his contract with Real Madrid until 2027. He further showcased his importance to the team by scoring crucial goals, including one in the 2022 UEFA Champions League Final against Liverpool, securing Real Madrid's 14th Champions League title.

However, Valverde faced controversy on April 8, 2023, when he allegedly punched Villarreal's player Alex Baena following a La Liga match. The incident was reportedly triggered by comments made by Baena about Valverde's wife pregnancy. The case against Valverde was later dismissed due to lack of evidence of criminality.
Despite the offfield incident, Valverde's contributions on the pitch were recognized, leading to another contract extension with Real Madrid until June 2029, announced on November 9, 2023.

Valverde's international career began with notable achievements, including winning the Silver Ball at the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup, where Uruguay finished fourth.However, he faced controversy in 2017 when he made a slant eyes celebration after scoring in the Under-20 World Cup. Valverde denied any racist intent, attributing the gesture to homage to his first agent, Edgardo El Chino Lasalvia. FIFA requested an explanation from Uruguay regarding Valverde's actions and a celebratory photo featuring similar gestures from several players.
Despite the controversy, Valverde made his senior debut for Uruguay in September 2017 and scored his first international goal against Paraguay. He was initially included in Uruguay's provisional squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup but did not make the final 23-man squad.
Valverde represented Uruguay at the 2019 Copa América in Brazil, where they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Peru in a penalty shootout.He was also part of Uruguay's squad for the 2021 Copa América and was named in the final squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Valverde embarked on a loan spell to La Liga outfit Deportivo de La Coruna for a duration of one year. He debuted in the league on 10 September, entering the pitch as a substitute for Fede Cartabia in a 2–4 defeat at home against Real Sociedad. Valverde made significant contributions with 24 appearances in the league throughout the season, although Deportivo experienced relegation at the end of the campaign.