Photo by Alvaro Medranda/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

The 25-year-old is hitting new heights in key performance metrics, becoming a pivotal piece to Ancelotti?s Real Madrid team. Outside Real Madrid circles, it seems that many still view Fede Valverde as a promising young talent. However, it may come as a surprise to note that the Uruguayan is now 25 years old, in the midst of his sixth season with Real Madrid, and has already become the captain of Uruguay, with a trajectory set towards captaining Real Madrid. His achievements and accolades have often flown under the radar. Last season, before the new year, when he scored 9 goals, calls for increased recognition began to emerge, even prompting Toni Kroos to tweet that Valverde is a ?Top 3 Midfielder in the World.? Despite a current dip in goal-scoring, Valverde?s evolution this season has firmly positioned him among the world?s elite, becoming an essential element to Carlo Ancelotti?s tactical blueprint. Ancelotti has tailored Valverde?s role this season, assigning him to deeper areas of the field to leverage his strengths and unveil a skill set not traditionally associated with his dynamic, ?box-to-box? style. Valverde has proven to be much more than a mere workhorse; his performance as a creative and vertical passer is particularly noteworthy.

FBREF - Opta

Even those within the Madrid circle may have overlooked the enhancement in his creative and forward-passing abilitie...