Fede Valverde may have been named MVP, but the Real Madrid captain was not interested in celebrating blindly after a dramatic Champions League victory over Inter Milan.
Valverde played a decisive role in the contest, scoring Real Madrid’s second goal and helping his side secure a crucial win in their Champions League opener. Yet, rather than focus solely on his own performance, the midfielder immediately turned attention to goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
The Belgian produced a string of important saves to keep Real Madrid in control during a tense encounter, and Valverde believes his contribution was just as important to the victory.
“We had a great first half. Courtois also deserves a lot of credit for this award. He saved us today; he put in a tremendous performance.”
That admission summed up a game in which Real Madrid showed their quality but also exposed some worrying flaws.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side created opportunities and took advantage of Inter’s mistakes, but their performance became increasingly uncomfortable after the interval. Real Madrid struggled to maintain possession, lost control of the tempo and allowed Inter to put them under sustained pressure.
Valverde was brutally honest about where things went wrong.
“We had chances, but when we stopped playing our game in the second half, we suffered a lot, which shouldn’t happen, especially at home. We should have imposed our style of play; we rushed things too much when it came to finishing plays, attacking. We lacked the patience to keep possession, play the ball, and rest a bit, especially those at the back. I think that led to a chaotic game where we were always on the back.”
The comments underline the mixed feeling inside the Real Madrid camp. A Champions League victory is always valuable, particularly against a side with Inter’s European pedigree, but Valverde knows the performance still left plenty of room for improvement.
Real Madrid generated several scoring opportunities, although many came from counter-attacks rather than sustained periods of controlled attacking football. Their inability to turn those chances into a bigger lead kept Inter alive until the closing stages.
“When you don’t score… We had many chances, but not by playing our game, rather from counter-attacks due to their mistakes. We created quite a few scoring opportunities, but we also suffered a lot.”
For Valverde, however, the most important thing was getting the Champions League campaign off to a winning start.
The victory also offered a much-needed confidence boost after the disappointment against Real Betis. But the captain knows Real Madrid cannot afford to hide behind the result.
“It’s always important to win, to regain that confidence that, sometimes when we lose like against Betis, can drop a bit. Today we recovered it, but as I said, we have to be aware and self-critical because we didn’t play our best.”
That self-criticism could prove important as Real Madrid continue their European campaign.
Valverde’s MVP award recognised his influence, but his message was clear: winning is only the beginning. If Real Madrid want to go all the way in Europe, they must combine their attacking threat with greater control, patience and defensive discipline.
Against Inter, they got the result. Next time, Valverde wants the performance to match it.
Toosin is a dedicated sports writer with a strong background in crafting engaging and insightful content. With experience at Goal, he has developed a sharp editorial sense and a refined storytelling approach that brings depth and perspective to sports journalism. His passion for the game goes beyond the headlines, as he captures both the excitement of the sport and the compelling human narratives behind each event. Toosin’s work resonates with a broad and diverse audience, making global sports stories accessible, relatable, and impactful.
