Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has compared Federico Valverde to Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard. He is happy to have the Uruguayan in his team and wants to see more from him on the pitch.
Speaking to the media after the 3-1 win over Pachuca, Alonso was quick to praise Valverde and said via MadridXtra:
"Fede Valverde? I'm very happy to have him in the team. He has something of Steven Gerrard."
Luis Suarez was one of the first to compare Valverde to Gerrard, claiming he had held this opinion since 2017. The Barcelona and Liverpool legend told MARCA in 2022 that the midfielder impressed him from his teenage years and said:
"There are newspaper archives, back in 2017, when Fede made his debut in the national team, I already said that he reminded me of Steven Gerrard, who was a teammate of mine at Liverpool. He has similar characteristics: a box to box, with a good shot, change of pace, a lot of runs [into the box]. I don't want to compare, but the characteristics are similar. I saw Fede coming and he has made great progress, surrounded by great stars. It did him a lot of good."
The comments were echoed by former Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, who said:
"I agree [with Suarez], he has a lot of the same talents as Gerrard. It's very good that they are comparing him with a player that has had this success. I think that Federico has everything he needs to reach Gerrard's level and go even further still."
Federico Valverde missed a penalty in added time against Al-Hilal, and it saw Real Madrid share points with the Saudi Pro League side. He bounced back with a goal on Sunday in the 3-1 win over Pachuca.
Real Madrid star happy with Liverpool legend comparison
Federico Valverde has admitted that he is happy to be compared with Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard. He praised the Englishman as a 'world idol' and told Infobae:
"It's spectacular when you are compared to such a player, to a star, a world idol, not just a Liverpool one. It's amazing. I see characteristics of him, obviously, I'm not going to say no, but one always looks out for one self. I also want to leave my name and my mark in the world of football, not just at Madrid but in the national team."Valverde has been with Real Madrid since 2017 and has been a key part of the first team in the last 6 seasons.
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Edited by Vaishnavi Iyer