Fede Valverde has been adored by Real Madrid supporters since the beginning. Since Zinedine Zidane controversially gave him a chance to start regularly in 2019–20 by benching veterans Isco and James Rodriguez to make room for the unproven Uruguayan international, his never-say-die mentality, engine, and developing quality have made him one of the club’s most significant players.
However, Valverde started displaying flaws early in the season that Real Madrid supporters had never seen before. Years ago, after a La Liga match, Valverde’s fiery temper turned into an ego that Madridistas would never have predicted the once-hard-working and modest Valverde would ever display. Valverde once punched Alex Baena in the parking lot.
In addition to refusing to play right back, which was unimaginable in the past, Valverde was a member of the group that led to Xabi Alonso’s dismissal. When Fede’s play improved under Alvaro Arbeloa and he was once again the hero with his match-winning hat trick against Manchester City in the Champions League, Real Madrid supporters forgot about it and even thought Alonso could have been the problem.
Fede Valverde is not acting like a captain
Fede Valverde is once again the antagonist. Valverde appears less and less like a captain or a victim as more information about the horrific altercation on Thursday at Real Madrid training—which was preceded by an awkward shouting match the day before—emerges. Instead, he appears more and more like another inflated ego who contributes to the issues in the locker room.
By knocking down Fede, Tchouameni seemed to have been the aggressor; however, AS and other media accounts of the bout give a different account. Fede was also attempting to hurt Tchouameni with forceful tackles during training, and the two allegedly had a falling out for months. This is the typical tale of a playground bully. Fede continued to act like a whiny child (as has been the case throughout the season); Tchouameni attempted to mediate; Valverde was the aggressor, and he fucked about and discovered the truth.
For a Real Madrid captain, Valverde’s behaviour this season has been inappropriate. Like the others, Valverde has grown too big for his boots, so selling him off seems like a step too far.
