A while ago, a video went viral of the Uruguayan player during his time at Atlético Peñarol, when he was around 17 years old. It showed him immediately after a match, in a short interview, where his voice stood out remarkably, prompting social media users to make jokes and comparisons, commenting that it sounded like Mickey Mouse.
The player began by saying: “Ah, yes, that was amazing. I’ll never forget it, just like the three goals,” referring to the hat-trick he scored against Manchester City in the first leg of this season’s Champions League round of 16.
He added: “I was actually having problems with my voice. When I spoke, I had a problem with my throat, and they were always advising me to have surgery.”
He continued: “I visited many specialists, and they all told me I needed surgery, but I couldn’t resolve the issue at the time due to financial circumstances.”
He added: “We were a modest family, and we didn’t have enough money to have an operation overnight. We thought it was something that happened during adolescence, and that it would get better, but it never did. I don’t know when it got better, but it didn’t get better back then. Now it has improved, thank God, but I was suffering at the time.”
Valverde also admitted that the video going viral affected him at the time, saying: “After that day, I struggled because people don’t know what’s behind it, and ultimately, that’s a problem. It’s funny now, and I laugh about it, but I was just a child back then.”
He continued: “It led me to spend many years not daring to speak in groups with people I didn’t know, because I knew I had this shortcoming. I felt very shy because of this shortcoming.”