Fede Valverde, a goal 211 days later and a fracture in his hand: "I did it when grabbing a teammate"

When the ball hit the right post of Remiro's goal, echoing throughout the Bernabéu, and entered the Real Sociedad net, a scream of rage came out of Fede Valverde's mouth.. The Uruguayan had not seen a goal in the Real Madrid shirt since last February 18 against Osasuna, 211 days and 29 games ago.. His fist towards the stands and his giant “Let's go!” They made more sense when he appeared in the mixed zone and explained what his last months had been like.

It has not been a normal 2023 for the midfielder. At the beginning of the year, some problems with his wife's pregnancy made him focus all his efforts and attention on the family.. logical question. That, together with the hangover from the World Cup in Qatar, caused him a slight downturn that was more than resolved at home and on the pitch.. His son was born without problems and he recovered his scoring instinct in the Club World Cup.

In April, in the middle of the fight for the League and the Champions League, he sparked controversy over the punching of Álex Baena in the Bernabéu parking lot, arguing that the Villarreal player had made some comments about his family situation.. The investigating judge of the RFEF requested a five-game sanction, which curiously he would have had to serve in the first five days of this season, but Court 48 of Madrid ended up ordering the dismissal of the case because the perpetration of the crime was not “duly justified.” and the Competition Committee decided to archive the file.

Months later and after a summer in which he tried to disconnect in Montevideo, Valverde returned to the spotlight against Real Sociedad. “You don't want to go through those things.. “These are things in life, and worse things can also happen, but I have to be grateful because overall my family is well, my children are well and they are healthy, which is the important thing,” he expressed to the media.

Analyzing his football “roller coaster” in 2023, the Uruguayan recognized that it is part of the “survival” that must be shown to endure in Madrid. “In my football life there will always be ups and downs, but one works to make them as few as possible.”. “You have to know how to have a mature head in those moments, talk to the people you need and only then can you survive Real Madrid and that pressure that always exists in the best club in the world.”

During the transfer market and with the arrival of Bellingham, several Premier League clubs knocked on the door of the Uruguayan's entourage, who always insisted on his desire to continue in Valdebebas. “I feel one of the best. “I feel like a Madrid player and when that's not the case, the club and I will look for another solution,” he said.

In the locker room, Valverde removed the bulky bandage that covered his right hand and revealed a splint that occupies a large part of the limb.. “I suffered a fracture in training, in a fight. I went to grab another classmate and my hand got caught. “It hurts, but I can play and that's the important thing.”.

First goal of the season for the midfielder, who also found the net with Uruguay during the national team break. Great news for a Madrid that needs options in its attack more than ever. Last year, Valverde bet with Ancelotti that he would go beyond ten goals, but “until he scores a couple I don't want to bet anything,” the footballer joked.