Remarkable statistic: Real Madrid star has played 77 matches in 13 months | OneFootball

Despite a shortened pre-season schedule, Real Madrid have made a flawless start to the 2025-26 campaign with three wins from three – and they will be aiming to make it four in a row when they face Real Sociedad on Saturday afternoon.

One of the players that Alonso is expected to start with at the Reale Arena is Federico Valverde, who has been one of the club’s most important stars for a few years now. The 27-year-old is a very versatile option, but more importantly, he has been almost ever-present for Los Blancos.

And that has been summed up by a remarkable statistic, as per Diario AS. Since the 1st of August last year, Valverde has made 77 appearances for club and country, racking up an eye-watering 6,573 minutes in the process.

Image via Twitter / X

450 of those minutes have come this season, as he has played every minute of Real Madrid’s opening three matches, as well as Uruguay’s two 2026 World Cup qualifiers during the international break. And barring any last minute changes, he will play another 90 in Donostia-San Sebastian this weekend.

Real Madrid have fitness plan in place for Valverde

There had been concern that Valverde would not be able to start against La Real, but fortunately for Real Madrid, he has returned from Uruguay in good shape. Despite this, there is a plan in place for him to play reduced minutes going forward, as he will not be used as a “stop-gap” in positions where injuries have struck, as was the case last season when he filled in at right-back for a period of time.

It is testament to Valverde’s recovery process and fitness levels that he has managed to play so many matches in a short period of time, but it also underlines the number of games that footballers have to play nowadays, which is a growing concern.