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Fans showered praise on Real Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde for his performance in Los Blancos' 3-0 La Liga win over Real Valladolid at home on Sunday (August 25).
After a goalless first half at the Santiago Bernabeu, Valverde broke the deadlock in the 50th minute before summer arrival Kylian Mbappe squandered a few presentable openings to put his side in the driver's seat.
Eventually, Brahim Diaz doubled the hosts' lead two minutes from time. There was still time for new signing Endrick to open his account in the sixth minute of stoppage time as Carlo Ancelotti's side notched up their first league win of the season.
While Madrid's new attacking trio of Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham had a quiet outing, Valverde rose to the forefront and was adjudged the Man of the Match.
Fans hailed the Uruguayan's performance, with one tweeting:
"What a performance he had"
Another chimed in:
"Every game, he makes us realise how good he actually is."
There were similar comments from other fans, with one posting:
"Well deserved!! He was our best player today!!!"
Madrid Xtra commented:
"WHAT A PLAYER HE IS!"
One fan wrote:
"That's our future captain! Already leading by example."
Following their rather disappointing 1-1 draw at Mallorca in their La Liga opener a week ago, Los Blancos move up to second in the standings after two games, two points behind leaders Barcelona.
What's next for Real Madrid?
Real Madrid made a slow start to their La Liga title defence but bounced back with a statement win against Valladolid. Carlo Ancelotti's side had started the season by triumphing in the UEFA Super Cup by beating Atalanta 2-0 in Warsaw.
Although their winning start to the season was halted at Mallorca, they registered their first league win of the season against Valladolid. Los Blancos next take on Las Palmas away on Thursday (August 29).
The reigning champions beat Las Palmas 2-0 at home last season, in September, thanks to goals from Brahim Diaz and Joselu. In the reverse fixture, Los Blancos won 2-1 away, with Vinicius Junior and Aurelien Tchouameni overturning Javier Munoz's opener.
Ancelotti's side are coming off a superb season, winning three titles, including their second La Liga-UEFA Champions League double in three years. Their only two losses of the season came against their arch-rivals Atletico Madrid, one in La Liga and the other in the Copa del Rey.
