Federico Santiago Valverde Dipetta, born 22 July 1998, is an Uruguayan footballer who plays for Real Madrid in La Liga and the Uruguay national team.
He is a versatile player whose speed, endurance, and work rate stand out.
He can also play defensive midfielder, right flank, and right-back on occasion.
Early life and Education
Federico Valverde was born on July 22, 1998, in the beautiful city of Montevideo, Uruguay, to Julio Valverde and Doris Valverde.
Fede, as he is fondly known, is the second child of his beautiful parents.
He was raised in a middle-class family by Christian parents who are devoted Roman Catholics.
Valverde had a strong desire to join a football team at the age of three in order to get sports experience.
His parents successfully enrolled him in Union Students’ Babies, a modest Montevideo academy, when he was still in diapers.
He wasn’t allowed to play formal games because he wasn’t yet six years old.
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Career
Club Career (Real Madrid)
Valverde joined Real Madrid from Pearol in July 2016, originally joining Castilla, the club’s reserve squad.
Two months later, he made his Castilla debut against Real Unión, a match that his team eventually lost.
During his debut season, he established himself as a regular starter for Castilla, scoring his first goal against Albacete in December 2016.
On June 22, 2017, Valverde was loaned out to La Liga club Deportivo de La Corua for a year.
He made his competitive debut on September 10th, replacing Fede Cartabia in a 2-4 home loss to Real Sociedad.
Valverde appeared in 24 league games as his team was relegated.
He impressed new manager Julian Lopetegui after returning from loan during the 2018-19 preseason, and he was finally promoted to the first team.
Fede made 25 appearances for the first team in his debut season and won the FIFA Club World Cup.
With the departure of Marcos Llorente and the return of Zinedine Zidane to the bench, Valverde was able to break through and establish himself as a key player of the club for the 2019-20 season.
On November 9, 2019, he made his Real Madrid debut in a 4-0 La Liga victory away to Eibar.
Valverde’s contract was extended to August 24, 2027.
International Career (Uruguay)
Valverde received the Silver Ball as Uruguay finished fourth in the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
He was called up to the Uruguay senior squad for the first time in August 2017.
On September 5, the same year, he made his debut for the Uruguay national team, scoring his first international goal in a match against Paraguay.
Personal Life
Valverde is dating Mina Bonino, an Argentine journalist, and broadcaster.
Benicio, the couple’s only child, was born on February 20, 2020.
