Real Madrid mainstay reveals he asked Alonso to be rested vs Sociedad – ‘He listened and understood’ | OneFootball

Real Madrid clinched their fourth win on the bounce this Saturday when they defeated Real Sociedad 2-1 away the Reale Arena.

Kylian Mbappe and Arda Guler were on target for the Merengues, who are now undisputed leaders in the league, and the only team with a 100% record.

Xabi Alonso made some notable changes to the starting XI for the game, one of which saw second captain and key midfielder Federico Valverde left out in favour of Dani Ceballos.

Valverde asked not to play the full game

Speaking to the club media after the game, Valverde revealed that he himself asked Alonso for a breather as he was not in a condition to play the full 90 minutes after his arduous travel to and from South America during the international break.

“I’m a little tired from the trip; 12 hours is a bit tough. But I spoke to the coach and told him I wasn’t feeling 100 percent fit to play 90 minutes today. He listened and understood,” he said.

The Uruguayan international did come on at half-time, replacing Brahim Diaz, and played the second half, helping Real Madrid hold on to their narrow lead.

Valverde only played 45 minutes vs Sociedad. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

The victory was Valverde’s 150th in La Liga with Los Blancos and the midfield ace was happy to have achieved that milestone.

“I feel happy and proud. It’s an honour to continue representing this shirt, this badge, and to continue defending the best club in the world. This is also part of my family.”

Talking about the match and the performance from the team, Valverde remarked: “I’m proud. Today I had to sit on the bench, and watching my teammates fight with a man down was admirable. They controlled the game very well in the first half.”

Regarding Dean Huijsen’s controversial red card, he added: “Obviously, no one wants to be sent off; that’s how football works. From the bench, it seemed like Militao was also there to challenge for the ball.

“But the important thing is that the team showed that pride in fighting to take the three points.”

Giving credit to their opponents, Real Sociedad, Valverde said: “They’re a team that plays very well, they have a lot of touches, and they have very good players.

They showed that. In the second half, we had a lot of saves; in the end, you also have to have a bit of luck. Courtois  was very alert in several plays to stop one-on-one situations. Sometimes these are the games that win you league titles.”