Real Madrid News
Fede Valverde, Nacho react after Osasuna 0-2 Real Madrid: “Knew how to suffer together”
The spirits are high in the Real Madrid dressing room after sealing a hard-fought 2-0 win over Osasuna on Saturday night. After all, it required a combined effort from all of Carlo Ancelotti’s squad members to guarantee the Merengues three points against a well-oiled opposition.
Following the high-intensity clash, Federico Valverde and Nacho Fernandez faced the press and spoke about various aspects of the game in depth including the altercation between Vinicius Jr and Moi Gomez. Here are the snippets of the goalscorer and the captain’s media interaction.
Valverde began his conversation with the media with a description of the gruelling ninety minutes the team had to endure in Pamplona. Further, he maintained that El Sadar is never an easy stadium to play at.
“We knew it was a tough game. They always fight until the end on their home turf. They always look for long balls and sometimes it’s hard to find space. As the minutes went by, the fatigue of the numerous games we’ve played this season also began to take their toll.”
After 78 hard-fought minutes, it was Valverde’s goal that blew the tie wide open and gave the visitors the lead. Speaking about his goal and the team’s performance, he said:
“I think the goal I scored opened up the game and that’s when we found the spaces a lot more. We are happy with all the work from our teammates and for the humility they displayed in the match. We knew it was very difficult and we knew how to suffer together.”
Ancelotti initially set a ten-goal target for the midfielder which he achieved in Real Madrid’s win in the Club World Cup final. Valverde then revealed that the target had now doubled, although he doubted if it was feasible for him to breach that number.
“I’ve been told that I can reach 20 goals, I think they’ve gone too far with that number though. I try to do my best and obviously scoring is a great boost to your morale. Playing on the outside you always have a very close marker and I try to play one-on-one, but it’s not my strong point.”
The 24-year-old began the season as a midfielder under Ancelotti. However, he has been pushed to the right wing in recent games and has done phenomenally well in the foreign position. Commenting on his preferred position, he explained:
“Being in the middle I can get closer to the area, sometimes the midfielders don’t follow you one hundred percent. I have to find my spaces and take advantage of them, like I did for the goal. That’s what the coach asks me to do.”
Ancelotti is well known as one of the best coaches in the world for bringing the best out of his players. Valverde stood by the same fact and elaborated on how Ancelotti’s mind games with him were instrumental to his success.
“I’d like to thank Ancelotti for that pressure he’s put on me, even if it’s just a little game between the two of us. In my mind, it plays a part in my decision-making. I would often find other options to pass because
“I didn’t have the confidence to go for goal. Now, the first thing I do is look towards goal. I know 80% can find the back of the net so I definitely look to score more these days.”
Nacho Fernandez started the game with the captain’s armband and played as a right-back for the 75 minutes that he was on the field. Going up against Barcelona loanee Ez Abde, the veteran faced a stiff challenge and explained the frustration the game had in store for him when he spoke to the media.
“It was a tough game. We knew it would be like this at a tough place to come, but we’ve taken three big points to stay in the fight. I was shown a yellow card for dissent, silly things that I should have avoided. Sometimes the tension of the match gets to you.”
Nacho then went on to share his thoughts on the duel between Vinicius Jr and Moi Gomez that saw both players earn yellow cards. Speaking on the verbal altercation, the defender said:
“As I said before, it’s in the heat of the moment. They squared up to each other a bit and they were both shown yellow cards. These things happen in a tight game.”
Source: Real Madrid official website
Real Madrid and Inter Milan are two clubs where history carries an unusual amount of weight.
The white shirt of Real Madrid and the famous black-and-blue stripes of Inter have been worn by some of football’s greatest players, with both clubs demanding not only talent but the ability to handle enormous expectations.
Moving between the two is therefore no ordinary career decision.
The clubs operate in different football cultures, compete in different domestic environments and have their own tactical traditions, but the pressure attached to representing either institution is remarkably similar.
Despite that, a select group of players have experienced both worlds.
Some arrived at Real Madrid after making their name in Italy, while another made his reputation in Madrid before becoming a key figure in one of Inter’s greatest teams.
On that note, here are three footballers you might have forgotten who represented both Real Madrid and Inter Milan during their careers.
Roberto Carlos: From Inter disappointment to Real Madrid legend
Few players are as synonymous with Real Madrid as Roberto Carlos.
The Brazilian left-back became a cult hero at the Santiago Bernabeu, but his European journey took him to Italy before Madrid. In 1995, he joined Inter Milan and spent one season with the Nerazzurri.
It was a productive campaign on an individual level. Roberto Carlos made 34 appearances and scored seven goals, which is an extraordinary return for a defender and an early indication of the attacking qualities that would eventually make him one of the most recognisable full-backs in football.
His time in Milan, though, lasted only a season.
Real Madrid moved to sign him, and the transfer proved to be one of the most important pieces of business in the club’s modern history.
Roberto Carlos would spend 11 seasons in the Spanish capital and establish himself as one of the defining players of his generation.
Across his Madrid career, he made 584 appearances in all competitions and scored 71 goals.
During his time, the Brazilian won four La Liga titles and was part of the team that reached three Champions League finals in 1998, 2000 and 2002. Madrid won all three.
The 2002 final against Bayer Leverkusen produced one of the defining moments of that era.
Roberto Carlos delivered the cross that Zinedine Zidane spectacularly converted for the winning goal, securing another European crown for Madrid.
Fabio Cannavaro: A Ballon d’Or winner in Madrid
Fabio Cannavaro’s connection with both clubs is perhaps less widely remembered, particularly because the Italian defender’s reputation is strongly associated with his homeland and Real Madrid.
Cannavaro developed through Napoli and Parma before earning a move to Inter Milan in 2002.
The Nerazzurri reportedly paid around €23 million for the centre-back, handing him a four-year contract.
His start at Inter was encouraging, but the relationship eventually became complicated.
Cannavaro left the club in 2004 and joined Juventus, where he spent two seasons before another major move changed the course of his career.
In 2006, Real Madrid signed him from Juventus for a reported €7 million.
That same year, he captained Italy to World Cup glory and produced a series of outstanding performances during the tournament.
His achievements were recognised on an individual level too, as he won the 2006 Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year award.
Cannavaro spent three seasons at Real Madrid and added domestic success to his already extraordinary year.
He won La Liga in both the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons, becoming an important defensive figure during Madrid’s successful campaigns.
His Inter career never reached the same heights, and Cannavaro himself has spoken critically about aspects of his experience there.
But his journey from Inter to Juventus and eventually Real Madrid produced one of the most decorated defensive careers of his generation.
Esteban Cambiasso: Madrid academy product turned Inter great
Esteban Cambiasso’s story is arguably the most interesting of the three because, unlike Roberto Carlos and Cannavaro, he began his connection with Real Madrid at youth level.
The Argentine midfielder joined Madrid’s academy at a young age alongside his brother Nicolas.
After returning to Argentina to gain regular first-team football with Independiente and River Plate, Cambiasso eventually returned to Madrid.
He became part of the first-team setup in 2002 and enjoyed a trophy-winning spell with the club.
Cambiasso won La Liga, the Intercontinental Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the Spanish Super Cup during his time in Madrid.
Yet his stay in the Spanish capital ultimately came to an end when his contract expired in 2004 and the club decided against renewing it.
That decision opened the door to Inter, where he truly established himself as one of the finest midfielders of his generation.
He spent a decade with the Nerazzurri, becoming an important figure in one of the most successful periods in the club’s history.
Cambiasso won five league titles during his time at Inter and became particularly important in Jose Mourinho’s side.
In the 2009-10 season, Cambiaso’s Inter won the Champions League by defeating Bayern Munich in the final, completing a historic treble.
