Real Madrid News
Toni Kroos hails ‘world-class’ Real Madrid midfielder: “I’m a huge fan”
Speaking on his podcast ‘Einfach Mal Luppen’ (h/t MARCA), Real Madrid veteran Toni Kroos has admitted that he is a huge fan of teammate Federico Valverde and claimed that the Uruguayan will be a world-class performer for Real Madrid for the next decade.
After enjoying a solid campaign last time out, Valverde has grown further in stature in the current season, becoming an integral part of Carlo Ancelotti’s setup.
Whether it is on the right flank or in the middle of the park, the 24-year-old has excelled and has even added goals to his game. Indeed, prior to his injury last week, had already scored seven goals this season in just 16 appearances across all competitions.
And Kroos has now heaped praise on the young midfielder, saying: “I’m a huge fan of Federico Valverde. He is gaining more and more confidence. If he remains on this path, he will be a world class player for the next decade at Real Madrid.”
Reminiscing the first time that he saw Valverde, Kroos said: “I remember it was during the tour of the 18-19 season in the United States. Our physio warned me to keep an eye on him because he knew I was his idol. I immediately realized that he was a great guy.
“Very quiet and humble. That was what I liked the most about him. He didn’t act differently because he traveled with us. He gave everything in each training session without fear of anything. I was watching him on the field and out too.”
On Valverde’s style of play, Kroos added: “I’ve always liked the way he played. Seeing him on the pitch you knew he could grow a lot and become a special footballer. At first, he was inconsistent in his game, but he always wanted to improve and gradually earned the coaches’ confidence.”
Kroos recently took to social media to claim that Valverde was among the top three midfielders currently. Reiterating his stance, the German said:
“My tweet the other day was because he is in excellent form and playing like this with the level that the team shows he is special. Regardless of his current moment, I think he is a great player.”
Valverde has made the difference for Real Madrid on several occasions this season, scoring goals in big games like the ones against Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Sevilla.
The 24-year-old signed a new contract with Los Blancos last year, extending his contract with the club until the summer of 2027.
The midfielder is being groomed for a future captaincy role and given his growth recently, there is no stopping Valverde from becoming the club captain in the near future.
Real Madrid are blessed to have the services and loyalty of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. The duo have run the show in the Merengues’ midfield for close to a decade and continue to deliver flawless performances to date.
Of the two, however, it is the Croatian who deserves the higher credit. The veteran is now 37 years of age, yet dominates the middle of the park with grace and poise like none other.
Stephen Estuaqio, an FC Porto player and Canada International, spoke earlier this week about why he considered Luka Modric to be a special player and compared him with Kevin de Bruyne to support his stance.
“I played against De Bruyne, but I ran behind Modrić. I couldn’t play against him. It’s crazy how he dictates the game and controls everything. It was a lesson for me,” he said on The 90th minute on Youtube.
With his contract running out next season, Real Madrid are looking to renew his deal by one year come June. Yet, it is difficult to see him continue beyond next season and his imminent departure will mark the end of an era at the club.
Thus, Modric could be an altered role come next season. With a young midfielder, possibly Jude Bellingham set to arrive, the veteran could move into a mentorship role with the occasional appearance in big games.
This season, however, Carlo Ancelotti will continue to use him as one of the backbones of the side and deploy the maestro in the must-win fixtures coming up later this month.
At 37 years of age, Modric has started 16 La Liga games over 24 appearances this season in the competition. He has scored four goals and provided three assists in that process in addition to creating eight big chances with an average of 1.8 key passes per game.
Mokgothu Leboko
October 28, 2022 at 4:31 am
Yes,Tony is saying the whole truth about Valverde,he is really a good player indeed.I still want to see him committed to the ball for a longer time driving it from hi own half zig-zagging through into the opponents half until he puts it into the net or passing it to his teammate for a finish. He got long strides with good ability to shoot at goals whilst running.I sometimes wonder why the coach can’t try him as a striker because Valverde can play any position,I assure you that.
Alinikisa Jonas Mwaipungu
October 30, 2022 at 5:35 am
The player is committed, he care for the team and his family.A well mannered player.