One of the most impressive qualities of Fede Valverde (27) is his incredible shooting power, something that continues to amaze no matter how many times the Real Madrid player demonstrates it in matches.
During his appearance on the podcast, El Pajarito was asked if he knew the top speed he had ever reached with a shot on goal. Although he admitted he didn’t know the exact number, he shared a remarkable story.
“I’ve injured a few goalkeepers. I injured Luca Zidane’s shoulder. I felt terrible, I thought I was going to get kicked out, I injured Zidane’s son,” the Real Madrid number 8 recalled.
“Some goalkeepers have picked up injuries from my shots. Mostly shoulder dislocations. My legs are really skinny, I don’t know where I get so much power from,” Valverde added, laughing.
A tough start
The Uruguayan also looked back on his early days with Castilla: “It was really embarrassing, it crushed me. I thought, ‘What am I doing here?’ When I got to the parking lot, I noticed my Castilla teammates had really nice cars and I could barely afford a decent one, even though I was already playing in the first team at Peñarol. I started thinking, ‘What have I gotten myself into?’ I walked into the locker room and saw everyone wearing expensive brands, and I didn’t want to take my clothes off or I’d change really quickly so no one would see. It was a reality check,” he said.
Finally, he explained how he got his nickname: “I used to move all over the place. One of my coaches called me ‘Pajarito’ (little bird). My dad didn’t like it, but he was the only one who didn’t. Now I’m called the hawk, because I’m a bit more aggressive. But I’m still the little bird,” he said.