While Real Madrid have suffered in midfield with the retirement of club legend Toni Kroos, Fede Valverde has stepped up to make the middle of the park his own this year.
Even when required to play elsewhere, as was the case against Leganés when he played right-back, Valverde steps up and does what is needed of him.
One key stat amongst midfielders in La Liga puts him as the league’s best, as Valverde tops the pile in terms of interceptions, proving he his defensively sound for Los Blancos.
As noted by WhoScored, the Uruguayan has 25 interceptions this season in La Liga, which puts him above every other midfielder in the league in this metric.
He also has an average of 2 interceptions per 90 minutes, which is 9th in the league across all players, defenders included.
Valverde has been one of Carlo Ancelotti’s top performers so far this season with four Man of the Match performances, and with these types of defensive statistics, it is clear to see why.
