Player profile

Federico Valverde

Midfielder · Real Madrid

UruguayActive

Federico Valverde captained Uruguay at the 2026 World Cup, becoming Real Madrid's most-capped Uruguayan player ever along the way, before Uruguay were eliminated by eventual champions Spain in the group stage.

Career

In September 2025, Valverde passed Jose Emilio Santamaria to become the Uruguayan player with the most appearances in Real Madrid history, underlining how central he has become to the club across midfield roles.

He captained Uruguay into the 2026 World Cup after they sealed qualification with a 3-0 win over Peru, then led the team through a Group H draw against eventual champions Spain, Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia -- Uruguay were eliminated after a 1-0 group-stage loss to Spain in Guadalajara.

How they play

Valverde is an all-action box-to-box midfielder with elite physical output -- he was clocked at 35.79 km/h in Champions League play in 2025/26 -- equally capable of a late box-crashing run or covering ground defensively.

Where they are now

He returns to Real Madrid for 2026/27 as club captain material and Uruguay's national-team captain, with 3 goals and 4 assists across 11 Champions League appearances in 2025/26 showing his growing attacking output alongside the defensive workrate.

Bio

Date of birthJuly 22, 1998 (age 28)

BirthplaceMontevideo

Height183 cm

PositionMidfielder

StatusActive

Current clubReal Madrid

Club career

Real Madrid Club de FútbolSince 2018Current
Deportivo de A Coruña2017–2018
Real Madrid Castilla2016–2017
Club Atlético Peñarol2015–2016

International career

Uruguay men's national football teamSince 2017Current

Youth caps: U20 (2016) · U18 (2015) · U17 (2014–2015)

Honours

No honours on record yet.

Defining moments

Real Madrid's most-capped Uruguayan2025
Valverde surpassed Jose Emilio Santamaria's appearance record to become the most-capped Uruguayan player in Real Madrid history.

Latest season stats (ESPN)

Starts (sub-ins): 0 (0)Goals: 0Assists: 0Shots: 0

In our archive

0 appearances0 goals0 assists

We haven’t archived a match featuring this player yet — appearances appear here the moment we cover one.

Sources

Read for this profile

Managing Madrid — Fede Valverde's Uruguay eliminated from 2026 World CupAugust 2, 2026
FIFA — 26 stars de la Coupe du Monde 2026: Federico ValverdeAugust 2, 2026

Profile written / last reviewed August 2, 2026.

← All players · Results · Play War of Soccer →

Comments

Loading comments…

War of Soccer is not affiliated with FIFA, Real Madrid, any federation or Federico Valverde. This page compiles publicly available data (ESPN, Wikidata) descriptively, for identification and commentary only — not an endorsement by or of the player.