‘What my wife gives me today, Casemiro used to give me in the dressing room’ – Real Madrid star Fede Valverde | OneFootball

Real Madrid star Fede Valverde has explained that his harshest critic is not Carlo Ancleotti, or himself, but his wife Mina Bonino. It used to be Manchester United midfielder Casemiro, who helped him settle at the club.

Valverde had a difficult path to a starting role, but was one of the original talents brought in from Latin America as a teenager, and worked his way into the squad after a loan spell at Deportivo La Coruna. The 26-year-old explained that Casemiro used to provide him with the advice he needed.

“You arrive and see at the table that Marcelo, Casemiro, Bale, Benzema, Sergio Ramos are sitting… Casemiro was the one who supported me. He hugged me and said, ‘Sit here.’ Regarding the lockers, we were also very close in the locker room. Casemiro does not need to shout on the pitch to give an indication or correct someone. He was a close teammate, always with constructive criticism. What my wife gives me today [criticism], Casemiro gave me in the dressing room: ‘Fede, you have to train more’,” he told Universo Valdano, as quoted by Diario AS.

Bonino, who is active on social media with her opinions, also used to be work as a football journalist in Argentina, eventually moving to Madrid to be with Valverde. She still has a scathing eye though.

“After the game when Ajax eliminated us, in which I played little or not at all, for a simple play, I get in the car after the game and it starts: ‘Why are you passing it? Why don’t you hit at goal? ‘Why didn’t you run on this play?’,” explained the Uruguayan.

Valverde is one of the most beloved players for Real Madrid fans these days, having earned his spot and reputation through hard work and grit. While clearly he has plenty of talent, his fighting spirit and willingness to be unselfish has knitted together several iterations of Los Blancos in recent years, most notably at right-wing during their 2022 Champions League win.