Federico Valverde has become one of the best midfielders in recent times. He is a perfect box-to-box modern-day midfielder. He has great legs and can run fast with the ball and now he has added another feature to his game, goals.
The 24-year-old is now one of the most important players at Real Madrid. But that was not the case when he first arrived at Real Madrid in 2016. Valverde has now revealed what he felt on his first day at Real Madrid.
Valverde reveals what he felt on his first day at Real Madrid
Valverde said to DirecTV, via Marca: “I was nervous and embarrassed. Sometimes I wondered if I was in the wrong place, I felt inferior to the rest of my teammates. I didn’t know if I was good enough, but in the end I started to believe it after winning so many things. I feel part of a team and I’ve proved I’m up to the task.
He further added: “My dream was to be a footballer and enjoy it. I value every moment and I’m taking advantage of all the opportunities coming my way, both in terms of family and in sports.”
“I think about everything I went through, the good and the bad. It was a very hard road and after having achieved many things it is very nice to see what I am experiencing.”
Valverde also talked about his goalscoring prowess: “I dreamed of scoring a goal in El Clasico so many times. [Carlo] Ancelotti told me that if I didn’t score 10 goals this season he would retire, he challenged me and it’s nice to have that pressure.”
Valverde’s World Cup dream
“Defending my country is the most beautiful thing there is. It’s a source of pride, there’s nothing like it. The more difficult the group, the better.”
“We need something like that. When we get something easy we underestimate it. As Uruguayans we like challenges and we have the weapons to be a threat. We believe we can achieve something, and there’s a chance we won’t, but our objective is to leave a mark. Anything can happen on the field and we have to think big.”
Read: Fede Valverde continues to show his brilliant versatility for Real Madrid