Real Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde on struggles last season – ‘I wouldn’t wish it on anybody’

Real Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde has revealed that the battles he went through last season were the hardest he has experienced, after going through a tough spell off the pitch.

The Uruguayan midfielder came back from the World Cup to his pregnant wife and several weeks later were told that a birth defect may leave their child with serious difficulties and perhaps even cause them to lose the child. Fortunately, scans several weeks later revealed that the baby would be born healthy.

Ahead of Real Madrid’s clash with Napoli, Valverde was asked how he dealt with it.

“Personally, I’m not going to remember it because it was a hard time. I don’t wish it on anyone, but these are things in life that create obstacles for you. It’s part of life, I tried to focus on football, on the World Cup… and it wasn’t how I expected.”

“The Copa del Rey was a very nice end, that helped me forget a little about everything I went through. I matured as a person and, although there are moments that you do not expect, but you have to move forward. Being with your family, the ones you love, they’re the ones who gives you that extra bit to continue trusting in life.”

Valverde, 25, has endeared himself to Real Madrid fans over his five years in the first team, and remarkably eeking out a starting role amidst fierce competition for places. His commitment and energy have made him at least useful if not crucial to every manager since he broke into the first team squad in 2018.

Image via EFE / Rodrigo Jimenez