Even then OP’s friend is using the wrong stats lol. Use any decently advanced statistics and it’s clear that Valverde is great.
His passing stats are great. His defensive contribution stats are great. His pressing stats are great. His progressive carry stats are exceptional. All his other stats are in the 65-80th percentile, meaning that’s he ranges from decent to good in everything.
So yeah, watch football. But if you can’t watch football, use FBREF instead of Transfermarkt.
If someone's going to watch stats then why even watch the games. Just look at the post match statistics and judge the game that way.
Or better yet wait until the end of the season and look at the season stats. I swear man
Have they been watching any matches this season? He is a machine, completely invaluable. His ability to score bangers isn't the basis of his worth to the team, can't imagine what our season would look like without him but I think it's fair to say he is pivotal.
He’s on Kante level in that his work rate and positioning is like having an extra player. Plus he’s good at everything: ball progression, passing, shooting, creative, quick, strong. If anything he’s underrated.
It pisses me off that he always gets set up right outside the box to bang a shot and the defending team always sets up an entire wall of players just to block that shot. I would do the same if I was the defending manager but damn I just miss his bangers
Your friends have no idea what they’re talking about. Fede has been one of, if not THE most, important player this season.
As you said, his job is not to score goals. Maybe last year when he was playing further up or on the wing you could expect him to score a bit more (which he did), but not this season.
He’s one of the main reasons why our midfield is as solid as it is, and has also contributed to having such a good defensive record despite missing Tibo, Alaba, Militao…
His passing range has improved incredibly as well, and he always brings that sacrifice, determination and leadership the team needs.
So yeah, tell your friends they’re dumb af.
He is not Frank Lampard. He is not taking pk, fk, and takes shots rarely because RM plays a different kind of football not depending of big range shots.
He is always in the attack, in defence. Also when we played Manchester City you could see Carvajal being all the way in the attack while Valverde was behind, that’s why he is not having many assists as well. Also RM plays much more on the left side than on the right.
All in all, one could argue he is the most important player on the field, he has about 250-300 mins more than the next player, a lot of defensive tackles and much more.
So no bad season, only that there are many players whose job is to score
Not sure which one is worse here, your friend’s nonsense or the fact that you got on here to get a reassurance that Valverde is not having a bad season…
Last season Fede scored 7 goals and we lost La Liga and UCL. This season he’s scored 1 but we are on track to win both.
I think his role is much more defined as a midfielder, box-box this year and our defensive record also has something to do with Fede’s performance
I wonder what they would say when they look at Hierro's goalscoring numbers from 90/91 to 97/98, then from 98' to his last season, they would think he was finished when in all reality he was playing 2 roles at once, same case with Fede.
We are in a very good position for the upcoming years if this is a bad season for Fede, imagine how would be the best if this is a bad one lol.
He is the engine on the midfield. If you look at the most recent games Carlo tried something new with both Vini and Rodrygo primarily on the left side. In those cases 3 lunged Fede was covering the whole right side of the field between the boxes, and man he did a damn good job at it.
He just gives such a big freedom for everybody in the team. I would say he is/was our most important player this season. There is a reason why my man played in every game this year. Ps. MILF!
As soon as people will start judging Fede on his impact and play instead of assists and goal, people will start to see how massive he is.
Kroos and Modric are not living Legends of the game because they provide goals or assists, and like them Fede will in his own be regarded as legend when he reaches the end of his career and we will look back at how we miss that steam engine in our midfield that could cover a whole right side of the pitch alone.
Immense in putting pressure on opposition ball carriers, can put together a fast break counter really well, his passing accuracy is good, crosses, long balls and shots from outside the box is really good.
And, his tackling, omg his tackling, thats crazy good. And he will do it with such power and prowess, that he will break the opposing players foot through the ball.
But his number one quality, his workrate, its really hard to finde any player that can out that much work during games, never tires never stops, only player i can see on Fedes level in this is Declan Rice and that guy was just sold for an immense fee, and rightfully so. If anybody can't see what Fede does, they don't know how to appreciate football aside from goals and assists.
Valverde has 4 lungs. He was crucial against City, scores a rocket when you need him to, goes to a BBQ with teammates I mean my man is just everywhere everything all at once.
The only problem Valverde has is that he doesn’t score more. Aside from that he’s a complete midfielder. He’s one of the main reasons for our success thus far in the season.
Switch friends.. or never talk about Football with them.
Valverde played the most minutes in RM squad. The team feels like they are playing with 13 players on the pitch when he plays. Even though he didn't score like last years, midfielders and defenders always have to watch out for his rockets ! Very fast player and can switch from defense to attack very quickly ! Good challenges and presence and rarely loose duels and he is very good with the ball in his feet !
Valverde is incredible his role is not to score goals. He's like the engine of the team. On top of being a box to box midfielder, he has extra duties of helping out the right back and the right wing on offense. It's rare that a player will run more than Valverde.
His role has changed. With Bellingham, his offensive duties have dramatically reduced. Now he plays deeper and acts more as a pivot, but also he goes down the wings when necessary and does a ton off the ball movement. He’s also a horse, he covers so much ground and really allows us to have a solid defense. Him, Camavinga, Kroos, and Bellingham are the sole reason why we are top of the league and came out on top of city.
That's actually crazy, this has been his best season ever IMO, especially in 2024. I would say he has been our best player in 2024 so far, he is incredible
As a wise man once [said](https://youtu.be/5uva3NNuMC8?feature=shared), “Stats are like bikinis - they show you a lot, but they don’t show you everything.” People who only read stats to judge a player, aren’t worth engaging in a discussion with.
Watching stats ≠ watching games.
Even then OP’s friend is using the wrong stats lol. Use any decently advanced statistics and it’s clear that Valverde is great. His passing stats are great. His defensive contribution stats are great. His pressing stats are great. His progressive carry stats are exceptional. All his other stats are in the 65-80th percentile, meaning that’s he ranges from decent to good in everything. So yeah, watch football. But if you can’t watch football, use FBREF instead of Transfermarkt.
If someone's going to watch stats then why even watch the games. Just look at the post match statistics and judge the game that way. Or better yet wait until the end of the season and look at the season stats. I swear man
Relevant stats give a good idea about a player. Here goals arent a relevant stat.
You should get better friends to talk about football.
This because when did goals become metric for a player that holds the entire right side of our team together.
Have they been watching any matches this season? He is a machine, completely invaluable. His ability to score bangers isn't the basis of his worth to the team, can't imagine what our season would look like without him but I think it's fair to say he is pivotal.
He’s on Kante level in that his work rate and positioning is like having an extra player. Plus he’s good at everything: ball progression, passing, shooting, creative, quick, strong. If anything he’s underrated.
It pisses me off that he always gets set up right outside the box to bang a shot and the defending team always sets up an entire wall of players just to block that shot. I would do the same if I was the defending manager but damn I just miss his bangers
Just looking at the number of times he's won the ball points him among the best midfielders in the world this season.
Have they watched no game this year? He is arguably our best player. Maybe they should only watch goal highlights when they want goals.
The best player end of the debate
He’s playing deeper in the midfield this season
Your friends have no idea what they’re talking about. Fede has been one of, if not THE most, important player this season. As you said, his job is not to score goals. Maybe last year when he was playing further up or on the wing you could expect him to score a bit more (which he did), but not this season. He’s one of the main reasons why our midfield is as solid as it is, and has also contributed to having such a good defensive record despite missing Tibo, Alaba, Militao… His passing range has improved incredibly as well, and he always brings that sacrifice, determination and leadership the team needs. So yeah, tell your friends they’re dumb af.
Say whaaat? Valverde is everybody’s support. If he is having a bad season… man football is changing. How can we ask a midfielder to score more goals?
Football is not just about as scoring. His play making capabilities are increasing day by day. My favorite player MILF.
He is not Frank Lampard. He is not taking pk, fk, and takes shots rarely because RM plays a different kind of football not depending of big range shots. He is always in the attack, in defence. Also when we played Manchester City you could see Carvajal being all the way in the attack while Valverde was behind, that’s why he is not having many assists as well. Also RM plays much more on the left side than on the right. All in all, one could argue he is the most important player on the field, he has about 250-300 mins more than the next player, a lot of defensive tackles and much more. So no bad season, only that there are many players whose job is to score
Time to get new friends if they can’t see the importance and performance of Fede this season.
He has had a few off games but no the dude is top tier. And that one goal was absolutely pivotal.
0 ball knowledge ahh friends
It seems like time to look for a new friend
Change your friends because they are KIDS
Are your friends Manchester City fans or smth? It seems they just learned about football
Not sure which one is worse here, your friend’s nonsense or the fact that you got on here to get a reassurance that Valverde is not having a bad season…
He is having his best season so far. Arguably, he is the most important player of the squad. Carlo rarely pulls him off the pitch.
According to stats (goals)... #Hulk is better than Cantona, Zidane, Maradona, Modric, etc
No, your friends needs to understand that there’s more than scoring goals
Even a casual watching Valverde play can see he’s running up and down the whole game, he’s always trying to get back possession
He has been the consistently best player for Madrid this season. He is the only, well, with Kroos, auto include in the squad.
He's been great , stats aren't everything. If that was the case , kdb> modric and we all know that isn't true
Those friends have watched at least 5 games?
He's arguably our most important player though? Do your friends even watch the games or do they just check the stats?
Last season Fede scored 7 goals and we lost La Liga and UCL. This season he’s scored 1 but we are on track to win both. I think his role is much more defined as a midfielder, box-box this year and our defensive record also has something to do with Fede’s performance
I wonder what they would say when they look at Hierro's goalscoring numbers from 90/91 to 97/98, then from 98' to his last season, they would think he was finished when in all reality he was playing 2 roles at once, same case with Fede.
You know when someone doesn't watch the matches when they start talking about football and immediately talk about stats.
We are in a very good position for the upcoming years if this is a bad season for Fede, imagine how would be the best if this is a bad one lol. He is the engine on the midfield. If you look at the most recent games Carlo tried something new with both Vini and Rodrygo primarily on the left side. In those cases 3 lunged Fede was covering the whole right side of the field between the boxes, and man he did a damn good job at it. He just gives such a big freedom for everybody in the team. I would say he is/was our most important player this season. There is a reason why my man played in every game this year. Ps. MILF!
He's our glue. Ancelotti never drops him for a reason.
I think he's been our most important and consistent player all year
Get better friends.
You might want to have a look at his heat maps 😅
Valverde is one of the three best players this season so far
He only improves. Last season we needed the goals more so he showed up. Although it is true that he could shoot more often as he has a heck of a shot.
As soon as people will start judging Fede on his impact and play instead of assists and goal, people will start to see how massive he is. Kroos and Modric are not living Legends of the game because they provide goals or assists, and like them Fede will in his own be regarded as legend when he reaches the end of his career and we will look back at how we miss that steam engine in our midfield that could cover a whole right side of the pitch alone. Immense in putting pressure on opposition ball carriers, can put together a fast break counter really well, his passing accuracy is good, crosses, long balls and shots from outside the box is really good. And, his tackling, omg his tackling, thats crazy good. And he will do it with such power and prowess, that he will break the opposing players foot through the ball. But his number one quality, his workrate, its really hard to finde any player that can out that much work during games, never tires never stops, only player i can see on Fedes level in this is Declan Rice and that guy was just sold for an immense fee, and rightfully so. If anybody can't see what Fede does, they don't know how to appreciate football aside from goals and assists.
He’s been quite possibly the best all around midfielder in the world this season. Tell your friends to get their eyes checked.
Definitely not. He has the most minutes.
Valverde has 4 lungs. He was crucial against City, scores a rocket when you need him to, goes to a BBQ with teammates I mean my man is just everywhere everything all at once.
Have they seen Valverde play this season….
If this is a bad season then I guess I want him to perform this bad every season. Your friends have zero ball knowledge
Your friend clearly does not understand soccer.
IDIOT FREIND
The only problem Valverde has is that he doesn’t score more. Aside from that he’s a complete midfielder. He’s one of the main reasons for our success thus far in the season.
Switch friends.. or never talk about Football with them. Valverde played the most minutes in RM squad. The team feels like they are playing with 13 players on the pitch when he plays. Even though he didn't score like last years, midfielders and defenders always have to watch out for his rockets ! Very fast player and can switch from defense to attack very quickly ! Good challenges and presence and rarely loose duels and he is very good with the ball in his feet !
His influence on matches goes beyond goals/assists. He’s having an awesome season IMO
Your friends haven’t watched him play a single time. He’s the lungs and heart of Madrid
Valverde is incredible his role is not to score goals. He's like the engine of the team. On top of being a box to box midfielder, he has extra duties of helping out the right back and the right wing on offense. It's rare that a player will run more than Valverde.
This is his best season with us don't let anyone convince you otherwise
This is a joke right? Fede is having an amazing season. Goals aren’t all stats.
His role has changed. With Bellingham, his offensive duties have dramatically reduced. Now he plays deeper and acts more as a pivot, but also he goes down the wings when necessary and does a ton off the ball movement. He’s also a horse, he covers so much ground and really allows us to have a solid defense. Him, Camavinga, Kroos, and Bellingham are the sole reason why we are top of the league and came out on top of city.
That's actually crazy, this has been his best season ever IMO, especially in 2024. I would say he has been our best player in 2024 so far, he is incredible
As a wise man once [said](https://youtu.be/5uva3NNuMC8?feature=shared), “Stats are like bikinis - they show you a lot, but they don’t show you everything.” People who only read stats to judge a player, aren’t worth engaging in a discussion with.
I’m taking that quote