Federico Valverde #8

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One of the world’s best had humble beginnings. He doesn’t like admitting it, simply saying his parents “were very hard-working”. He would accompany his mother to her market stall and started playing football so young that he was still wearing nappies. When he arrived at Real Madrid in 2016 feeling like “Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi put together”, he was self-conscious when comparing his clothes with those of his peers. “You’re wearing a €2 T-shirt,” he said to himself. Ironically for a player who used to annoy his youth coaches because he didn’t like running, the midfielder has risen up the ranks at Madrid thanks to his outstanding physical attributes. He scored on debut for Uruguay aged 19 but missed out on the World Cup in 2018, which was a blow. He arrives at this one as his country’s talisman. A hat-trick against Manchester City in the Champions League in March confirmed his elite status. His 2025-26 season ended on a low, however, as he was taken to hospital after an altercation with his Real teammate Aurélien Tchouaméni. In a statement Valverde said: “At no point did my team-mate hit me, and I didn’t hit him either.”

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