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Real Madrid 3-0 Man City
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Real Madrid had no need for Kylian Mbappé, Rodrygo, or Jude Bellingham in their Champions League clash with Manchester City on Wednesday night. And while many may have turned to Vinicius Jr or Arda Güler to outscore the likes of Erling Haaland on the night, it was none other than Federico Valverde who put the Premier League giants to the sword with a truly outstanding first-half hat-trick. Whether it was his darting run for the first goal, his outstanding left-footed shot for the second or the audacious flick and volley for the third, Valverde stunned the Santiago Bernabéu with his skill and goals.
However, Wednesday night’s performance wasn’t an isolated performance. While “Los Blancos” have struggled for form in the second half of the season, with just three wins from their five games prior to Wednesday’s victory, Valverde has been one of the few consistent performers in Álvaro Arbeloa’s team since the turn of the year. So much so that the Uruguay midfielder-turned-defender is actually Madrid’s leading source of goals and assists since the turn of the year, despite spending much of his time playing at right back or in the centre of midfield.
As the table above shows, Valverde now has an incredible 14 goals and assists in 16 games across all competitions following Wednesday’s hat-trick against Man City. And that purple vein of form couldn’t have come at a better time for his team. In the first half of the season, the 27-year-old midfielder bagged only four goals and assists in all competitions, but has clearly benefited from the absences of Madrid’s more notable attacking players. Whether tasked with playing on the right flank in place of Mbappé or in a more attacking midfield role due to Bellingham being out of action for the last month, Valverde has clearly benefited from spending more time in the final third.
That now means that Valverde has picked up an impressive 18 goals and assists across the entire season, which currently places the Madrid star joint fifth among all players in Europe’s top five leagues for goal contributions in the league and corresponding cup competitions. Only four midfielders in Europe have been more dangerous in front of goal than Velverde this season, and following Wednesday night’s heroics, Arbeloa may be reluctant to move the player back to a defensive role anytime soon.
