How A Player Sacrificed Himself To Save Real Madrid

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In the dying seconds of one of the greatest El Clasicos ever, Marcelo could’ve committed a tactical foul on Barcelona’s Sergi Roberto, to stop him from getting to the Real Madrid penalty area. He didn’t commit the foul, Messi scored his 500th goal against rivals Real Madrid, and while Messi celebrated on one end of the field, on the other end, Ronaldo was fuming with anger, and Real Madrid had been devastated on their home turf The Santiago Bernabeu.
Federico Valverde was only 19 years old when this happened, and had recently been promoted to the Real Madrid first team. The youngster probably took notice of what went down and promised himself to never let this happen again. Because in the 2020 Supercopa de España, it was the 115th minute of play, and there was no coming back. That’s why, Fede Valverde committed a foul so cynical, it unfairly stopped a clear Atletico Madrid goal, kept Real Madrid in the final, and helped them win on penalties and lift the trophy as Supercopa de España champions.
When Federico Valverde was chasing Alvaro Morata, he heard a voice in the distance shouting "KILL HIM”. It was Sergio Ramos. For a guy who could’ve kicked Franck Ribery in the face, wrestled Mo Salah to the ground, and spent a career brutally fouling Lionel Messi, one would expect that kind of advice. But while Sergio Ramos was always bitter even after committing a nasty foul, Valverde was at least a good sport about it, and showed class when he apologized to Alvaro Morata.
Atletico coach Diego Simeone is usually not a good sport when it comes to losing. The guy has gotten himself, and his players, in countless fights, that one would have to question his sportsmanship. Funny how he would actually praise Federico Valverde, the player that didn’t just brutally foul his striker, but denied Atletico Madrid a clear shot at becoming the 2020 Supercopa de España champions. So does Diego Simeone like it rough on both ends of the football field?
Football defenders don’t usually challenge for top individual awards, and when they do, they never win. Legendary defender Fabio Cannavaro might’ve won the Ballon D’Or way back in 2006, but it’s because he literally helped Italy defend its way to the 2006 World Cup title. And that’s why, a Virgil Van Dijk Ballon D’Or nomination, and against Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, spoke loudly of the defender’s abilities. Van Dijk came in a very close second to Lionel Messi, and even finished ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo.
So for a top defender to be in such a strange position and in a Champions League final, there had to be consequences. Virgil’s very bad covering didn’t stop the Fede Valverde cross. And the inch perfect assist paved the way for Vinicius Jr. to score a very easy goal. Out of all of Real Madrid’s stars that evening, Fede Valverde was both, a master in midfield, and gave the assist to the single Real Madrid goal that got them yet another Champions League title.
Federico Valverde at a very young age, has already established himself as a Real Madrid legend. But what the youngster might not get, is that it’ll only get harder and harder. He has big shoes to fill when he takes Toni Kroos' No. 8 shirt at Real Madrid. And even at a country level, the soon to be retirement of legends Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, can only mean that stars like Fede Valverde and Ronald Araujo must put aside their fierce rivalries at a club level, and carry The Uruguay National team to possibly achieve its previous glories. Will Valverde be up to the responsibility?