A leading member of the midfield ranks at La Liga giants Real Madrid will not link up with his country for the October international break.
That’s according to journalist Arancha Rodríguez, amongst others, who highlight Federico Valverde as the player in question.
Midfielder Valverde is for his part fresh off a difficult last couple of weeks, which saw both his form and commitment to the cause in Spain’s capital called into question.
At one point, the 27-year-old even felt it necessary to release a statement, in response to the situation:
He leído varios artículos dañando mi persona. Sé que he tenido partidos malos, soy consciente. No me escondo y doy la cara. Realmente estoy triste. De mí pueden decir muchas cosas, pero bajo ningún punto de vista pueden decir que me niego a jugar. He dado todo y más por este…
— Fede Valverde (@fedeevalverde) October 1, 2025
No doubt exhausted physically and mentally alike, Valverde, this week, has in turn been afforded a much-needed rest.
As per a report from the aforementioned Arancha Rodríguez of COPE:
‘Valverde is not traveling with the Uruguayan national team. He is not injured. It was agreed with his coach.’
Uruguay are primed to play out a pair of friendly fixtures over the next week, against the Dominican Republic and Uzbekistan respectively.
Valverde no viaja con la selección uruguaya. No está lesionado. Estaba pactado con su seleccionador.
— Arancha Rodríguez (@AranchaMOBILE) October 6, 2025
Conor Laird – GSFN