OneFootball
·3 April 2026
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·3 April 2026
Federico Valverde is one of the best midfielders in the world and one of Real Madrid’s absolute key players.

But just a few years ago, his career was hanging by a thread — or at least that’s what he thought. In the podcast “Terapia Picante,” the Uruguayan recently recalled a delicate moment from his early days with Los Blancos.
“I injured Luca Zidane’s shoulder. I wanted the ground to swallow me up,” Valverde admits. His fear was correspondingly great. “I thought they were going to kick me out — I had injured Zidane’s son.”
The background: At that time, the Real icon was already working at the club and shortly afterwards also became Valverde’s coach.
Of course, there were never any consequences. For many years now, the 27-year-old has been impossible to imagine Real Madrid without!
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.
📸 Angel Martinez - 2026 Getty Images
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