Right foot, left foot, volley. It’s not a textbook perfect hat trick, but it’s probably an improvement over that. Fede Valverde was Real Madrid’s hero in their 3-0 victory over Manchester City. It was one of the great performances of the Champions League.
This was supposed to be an opportunity for Josep Guardiola’s City team to prove their authority with Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham among the injured. Madrid had been touting the fact that they were by no means underdogs, but there were concerns about their form.
Valverde entered due to the captain’s efforts. Talk about stepping up. He then credited his teammates and coaching staff for the pass he received for his goal. Typical humility, but that said little about what he did at the Bernabéu. It was special.
The first goal was all thanks to a sublime first touch that deftly buffered a long ball from Thibaut Courtois, but he still had to get past Gianluigi Donnarumma. The second one featured great movement and a finish on his weaker foot. The third was a long-standing goal.
Valverde made Marc Guech look like a novice by running behind Rodri, lifting the ball over him and driving the ball low into the corner. Bellingham couldn’t believe it and watched in the stands, making a gesture that said, “We’re not worth it,” but he probably will.
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‘sensational! ‘Michael Brown reacts to Federico Valverde’s hat-trick against Man City
It was only his fifth first-half hat-trick in the Champions League knockout stages, and the first against England since Lionel Messi did it for Arsenal 16 years ago. However, Valverde’s hat-trick record was very different from previous ones.
City fans will remember that his outrageous volley against City in 2024 earned him the Champions League goal of the season, but he’s not really a goalscorer. It was one of just three goals in his last 75 appearances for Madrid.
But that’s part of what made this performance special. Valverde did more than just score. He made more tackles than anyone else on the pitch. In fact, his total of four is twice as many as any player who has scored a hat-trick in the Champions League this decade.
There was a moment during the first half when he went back to covering Trent Alexander-Arnold. The second saw him move into a full-back position as the England international moved forward. No wonder his teammates adore him.
“I’m running out of words to describe him,” Alexander-Arnold told CBS afterward. “I think he’s the most underrated soccer player on the planet and has been for years. Even when I wasn’t here, I admired his game a lot because he has no flaws.
“There’s nothing he can’t do. The energy and what he brings to the team is really immeasurable. He pushes himself to the limit both in and out of games. That’s a great trait. Whether people agree with it or not, he’s at the top level of midfielders on the planet.”
Perhaps it’s his unassuming demeanor that makes him such an unconventional superstar. “He never moans,” Alexander-Arnold said. Galactico doesn’t tend to be avoided by those around him. “It doesn’t matter where we put him,” Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa said after the game.
Fede Valverde’s minutes played by position for Real Madrid in the Champions League
Valverde won his first Champions League title as a winger and his second in midfield, but he has also spent much of his time as a right-back. He can do that because of his physicality, and that was also a feature of this performance. He surpassed Siti and outmuscled him.
Supporters love it and that’s why so many Valverde shirts are scattered around the crowd. they know. An often overlooked aspect of Real Madrid is that, despite their appeal, they, like many of their fans, define themselves and their club by their competitive spirit. Uruguayans are a typical example.
This is not the first time that Arbeloa has evoked the memory of the late Juan Gomez, better known as Juanito, when he praised Valverde after the match. “He is the Juanito of the 21st century. Valverde is everything a Real Madrid player should be.”
Juanito became a symbol of Madrid’s spirit. After losing by two goals to Inter in the first leg of the 1985 UEFA Cup semi-final, he famously said that 90 minutes at the Bernabéu was a very long time. That was proven as Madrid won 3-0 and went on to lift the trophy.
This victory with the same scoreline was inspired even more directly by Valverde. The 27-year-old is a player in his prime and has finally blossomed in the absence of Mbappé and Bellingham. “He deserves a night like this,” Arbeloa said. He is Madrid’s underrated galactico.
The photos in this article were taken by OPPO Find X9 Pro. OPPO has been partnering with the UEFA Champions League since 2022 and currently serves as its official smartphone product partner.
