They reveal that Federico Valverde played with fever in Real Madrid's victory against Barcelona
The Uruguayan, captain of Madrid, left the Clasico exhausted with less than 20 minutes left
The Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona left multiple stories, but one of the most striking involves Federico Valverde. According to the Spanish newspaper Marca, the Uruguayan midfielder played with a fever for much of the match and ended up completely exhausted.
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Despite being physically affected, Valverde started in a position that is not natural to him: right back. Xabi Alonso again placed him there despite having Carvajal and Trent Alexander-Arnold available, demonstrating the manager's confidence in his versatility. "Fede doesn't do it badly, but he doesn't like it," noted the Spanish media.
During the first half, the player was already showing signs of discomfort and even spoke to the medical staff, although he decided to continue. In the 65th minute, he was on the verge of being substituted, but chose to continue, which generated some anger in Carvajal, who was waiting on the touchline to come on. He was finally replaced in the 72nd minute when his body gave out.
A demanding victory that consolidated Real Madrid's lead
Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu, ending Hansi Flick's team's positive run and extending their lead at the top of LaLiga to five points. Kylian Mbappe, scorer of the first goal, was the figure of the match, while Jude Bellingham sealed the victory for Real Madrid after an assist from Vinicius Junior.
Xabi Alonso's team combined an intense first half, with high pressing and quick transitions, with a more defensive second half, in which they resisted the Blaugrana attacks. Barcelona, ???????however, suffered from their absences and a midfield that failed to control the pace of the match.
Valverde, despite his fever, more than fulfilled his role. He neutralized Marcus Rashford in several duels and contributed to the ball-playing game from his improvised role as a full-back. His dedication was even praised by the Madrid press.who stressed that he “gave everything for Madrid” before leaving the field visibly exhausted.