Federico Santiago Valverde Dipetta (Spanish pronunciation: [feðeˈɾiko βalˈβeɾðe];[note 1] born 22 July 1998), also known as Fede Valverde, is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid and the Uruguay national team. Considered by football fans and journalists as one of the most complete midfielders in the world,[4] Valverde is known for his pace, stamina, work rate, and shooting ability, being able to deploy as a defensive midfielder, a right winger, and occasionally a right-back.[5][6]

Federico Valverde

Personal information
Full name
Federico Santiago Valverde Dipetta[1]
Date of birth
22 July 1998 (age 25)[2]
Place of birth
Montevideo, Uruguay
Height
1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[3]
Position(s)
Central midfielder, right winger

Team information
Current team
Real Madrid
Number
15

Youth career
2001–2008
Estudiantes de la Unión
2008–2015
Peñarol
2016–2017
Real Madrid
Senior career*
Years
Team
Apps
(Gls)
2015–2016
Peñarol
12
(0)
2016–2017
Real Madrid B
30
(3)
2017–
Real Madrid
156
(13)
2017–2018
→ Deportivo La Coruña (loan)
24
(0)
International career‡
2012–2013
Uruguay U15
25
(7)
2014–2015
Uruguay U17
24
(11)
2015
Uruguay U18
7
(3)
2015–2017
Uruguay U20
15
(2)
2017–
Uruguay
55
(6)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:27, 21 December 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 02:00, 22 November 2023 (UTC)
Valverde began his professional career with Peñarol in 2015, winning the Uruguayan Primera División in his first season. In 2016, he joined Real Madrid, initially playing for the club's reserve team. He made his first-team debut in 2017 and has since gone on to make over 150 appearances for the club, winning two La Liga titles, two FIFA Club World Cups, a UEFA Champions League title, a UEFA Super Cup, and the Copa del Rey.

Valverde made his international debut for Uruguay in 2017 and has since represented his country at the 2019 Copa América, the 2021 Copa América, and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Valverde is widely regarded as one of the best young players in the world. He has won the FIFA Club World Cup silver ball award in 2022 and was included in the La Liga team of the Season in 2023.