Federico Valverde has gone from Real Madrid's unsung hero to Uruguay's undeniable talisman

Valverde was just 19 when he made his Uruguay debut. Then-manager Oscar Tabarez used him as a wide forward at the time, playing a modified wing-role to support Luis Suarez and Edison Cavani. And in an early indication of Valverde's signature versatility, he scored on his debut, banging in the first in a 2-1 win over Paraguay.

That was enough to keep him in the side. He started the next three games - all in various attacking roles. His impact was felt n- Uruguay won two of three World Cup qualifiers and fought their way to a tough away draw against Venezuela.

But he soon fell out of favor. He watched from the sidelines in the run up to the 2018 World Cup, and although he was included in La Celeste's 26-man provisional squad, he failed to make the final 23. A knee injury that kept him out for nine games certainly was a factor, but he had two months to recover before the tournament. Tabarez, though, wasn't convinced. And Uruguay lost to eventual champions France in the quarterfinals.

But things soon turned around. Valverde worked his way back, appearing in a number of post-World Cup friendlies. And although Uruguay toiled in those fixtures, Valverde made a number of tidy contributions off the bench.

Meanwhile, his Madrid career began to take off. His first big moment was an ironic one. In the Spanish Super Cup final in January 2020, Valverde did something special to earn his way into Madridista hearts. It was 0-0 extra time, and Atletico Madrid's Alvaro Morata burst through on goal, with 40 yards of space to run into and only the keeper to beat. Then, Valverde caught up. The midfielder ate up ground, and clipped Morata's legs from behind - just outside the box. The referee showed a red card immediately and chaos ensued.

Atleti were rattled, and failed to convert off the ensuing set piece - with Madrid ultimately winning on penalties. Watch the highlight today on YouTube, and the comments remain full of adoring Madrid fans, praising Valverde for sacrificing himself for the team.

From that day on, he was an important part of Zinedine Zidane's Madrid side. He started the big games - Clasicos, Champions League ties, title deciders. Los Blancos pipped Barca to the La Liga crown.

Since then, he has only become more important. Carlo Ancelotti has always found a role for Valverde - first as a modified right-winger, then as a central midfielder. Back in 2022, he called on the Uruguayan to improve.

"He’s confident in his abilities, and he has a lot of abilities. He’s more than just energy. But, to say he’s best in the world in his position, we might have to wait a little longer," Ancelotti admitted in September 2022.

And it seems to have worked.

Still, for all of his Madrid improvement, Uruguay were poor at the 2022 World Cup. Stuck between generations, the Celeste were young and exciting at some positions, and languid at others. Suarez and Cavani were running out of legs, while an injury to Ronald Araujo at the back hampered the side. Meanwhile, Darwin Nunez struggled for form through the middle. It all amounted to a group stage exit - the team forced to watch a late comeback from South Korea after beating Ghana in their final group game.

Valverde, for his part, never really showed up. He offered energy in the middle, but failed to make an impact against first South Korea, then Portugal. This wasn't all his fault - Uruguay were paper-thin elsewhere in central midfield - but he was far short of the world class presence that Ancelotti had pipped him as in Madrid.

He later admitted that he should have done more to help his country:

"The World Cup affected me," Valverde said. "When you go for a goal, you have such illusion and optimism that everything will go well with your country, you go with the dream of a child representing millions of people to try to go as far as possible and fighting to win Not being able to do it makes you sad. Everything we work on seems to have been of no use and it hurts."

Valverde endured a slump after the Qatar World Cup. Off-field controversy, highlighted by an altercation with Villarreal's Alex Baena, saw his form drop off. The energetic midfielder spiraled. By the end of the 2022-23 season, there were serious questions to be asked as to whether Valverde could stay at the club.

Things looked even more difficult when Los Blancos announced the arrival of Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund. They had too many midfielders, and not enough space to fit them all in. Of course, Ancelotti had an answer (he always seems to.) He moved Valverde back into a deeper-lying role, asking him to play alongside the immobile Toni Kroos at the base of a modified 4-4-2. In theory, it didn't make much sense. Valverde had proved himself as a goalscoring midfielder. He was supposed to be Gerrard, not Sergio Busquets.

In the end, he was neither. Valverde spent the 2023-24 campaign eating up ground in central areas, becoming the ideal embodiment of the box-to-box midfielder. He only scored twice in La Liga, but he provided seven assists. And if Kroos was hailed by fans for his swansong, it was only because Valverde had plugged so many holes next to him.

Valverde already had one elite manager at the club level in Ancelotti. Uruguay did him even more of a favour when they hired Bielsa in May 2023. The legendary Argentine played a different sort of football to Madrid. Los Blancos were measured in the centre of the park, and rapid in the final third. Valverde may have been full of energy, but on the ball he was a tempo-setter, charged with controlling the game - not speeding it up.

Bielsa wanted the opposite. Valverde's role for Uruguay is a hectic one. Nominally, he is a centre-midfielder. In reality, he plays a bit of everywhere. Bielsa's system is a frantic thing, defined by its high pressing and eye-catching verticality. In other words: Valverde has to win the ball and get it towards the other end of the pitch as quickly as possible.

It's a role he has thrived in so far at Copa America. Uruguay have a real shot at winning this thing - and the reasons for that are many. Nunez has been excellent, as has Manuel Ugarte in centre-midfield. But Valverde is the key man, setting everything up while wearing the captain's armband.

Brazil, in theory, was Uruguay's most difficult test. The Selecao are always a threat, and their meaty midfield seemed likely to be a real struggle for La Celeste. In the end, they needed penalties to knock off Dorival Jr's side in the Copa America quarterfinals. And even though they did their best to make the game painfully unwatchable - their 26 fouls sums it all up - Uruguay never really looked like conceding. It wasn't a pretty performance, but some cleaner finishing could have put a couple of goals away.

Colombia, though, present a different challenge. Like Uruguay, they play a frantic brand of football. Chaotic and dangerous on the wings, and physical in the middle of the pitch, Los Cafeteros have no problem opening up the game, and inviting attacks. It should make for an enthralling watch. More broadly, it's the exact kind of game in which Valverde can thrive. Give him chaos, and he will match it. Give him space, and he will use it well. Give him a feisty clash full of animosity, and he will rise to the occasion.

As a fixture, it's near impossible to call. Colombia are undefeated in 27 games. They have the electric Luis Diaz to turn to, while James Rodriguez looks like his old self. La Celeste will likely concede chances. A clean sheet would be a real achievement. Instead, this could be a shootout - one that Valverde will relish.