Real Madrid right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold has called Fede Valverde the most underrated player in the game, following his stunning hat-trick against Manchester City in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16. The Uruguayan scored all three goals in their win over City, but more than that, he did an impressive job.
Valverde was coming off the back of a late winner against Celta Vigo in La Liga last Friday, keeping Real Madrid within four points of Barcelona in the title race. After a long stint at right back for the past two seasons, Valverde has been brought back into midfield where he has been very successful in recent years.
Alexander-Arnold: ‘Everyone thought we would be beaten’
Los Blancos go into the game against Manchester City as underdogs, and Alexander-Arnold told TNT Sports they know what to expect from the game.
“A lot of people, when the teams were drawn, and before this game, you know especially the way we were playing, a lot of people expected us to be beaten tonight. It shows you that no matter how injured, who the players are playing, what they are thinking. This competition means a lot to this club, and we understand that, we go out and they support us like that, and we played well in the first half.”
https://twittercom/footballantnt/status/2031861438013206939?s=20
“People will say they are favorites based on the results, and the way these two teams played, and that would be true. But this is the playoffs in the Champions League, anyone can beat anyone. Coming into this, we had a gameplan and scored a lot of goals.”
‘I don’t want to say that other games are less important, but…’
Asked what had changed since last week, when Real Madrid fell to their second consecutive defeat against Getafe last Monday, Alexander-Arnold explained that the key difference is motivation.
“Em, I think the size of the game, I don’t want to say that other games are not that important. But when there are so many eyes on the game, and so much tension, you need to play as a player. Especially when you play for a club like this, there are no excuses, you have to win. So our idea is to go all the way and win the tournament, it doesn’t matter who is in front of us.”
“He is the worst footballer in the world and has been for many years.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold reacts to Fede Valverde’s Man of the Match performance against Man City 🔥 pic.twitter.com/sh7PKGFuA3
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 11, 2026
‘Valverde is the most underrated player in the world’
At the time the headline was Alexander-Arnold picking Valverde as ‘the most underrated player in the world’.
“I sang his songs a few weeks ago, but again I was at a loss for words to describe him. He is the worst footballer in the world, and he has been for many years, but even before I came here, I always liked his game, because there is nothing wrong with him.”
“There’s nothing he can’t do, he’s so powerful. He never whines, he gets on with the game, he pushes himself to the limit game after game, and it’s an amazing quality to have. Whether people agree or not, he’s in the top tier of midfielders in the world, and he has been for many years.”
