Real Madrid megastar made huge sacrifices to recover from back injury for Club World Cup
According to a report from MARCA, it has come to light that Federico Valverde has shown exceptional commitment and resilience to be ready for Real Madrid's FIFA Club World Cup campaign.
In fact, the Uruguayan midfielder had to overcome a troubling back injury that had kept him out of Uruguay's recent matches, forcing him to go through intense and lengthy recovery sessions to return to top condition for this competition.
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Valverde's journey to recovery was not easy. He leaned heavily on support from his family to stay mentally strong through the difficult period.
He worked tirelessly, putting the team above his personal comfort, which perfectly sums up his character and his love for the club.
Motivated by missed penalty
Valverde enters the match against Pachuca with a personal mission to redeem himself. The missed penalty against Al-Hilal in the opening Club World Cup match was his first failure from the spot in a Madrid shirt. It is a memory he's eager to move past.
Valverde went to great lenghts to be available for Club World Cup. (Photo by)
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Interestingly, he had previously avoided a penalty against Manchester City but later stepped up and scored one in the Champions League shootout against Atletico Madrid.
Despite the recent miss, Valverde's mindset remains unshaken, so much so that the outlet says the future great captain of Real Madrid is not brought down by a penalty.
New leadership role
This season, Valverde is set to become Real Madrid's second captain, right behind Dani Carvajal.
With Carvajal currently injured and expected to be rotated more due to Trent Alexander-Arnold's presence, Valverde is likely to wear the armband in several key fixtures.
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His leadership qualities, work ethic, and emotional strength are already shining through, and they show exactly why the club sees him as a future captain.
Valverde is not just playing for a trophy in the Club World Cup, he is playing for redemption, pride, and a growing legacy in white.
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