For Real Madrid's 4-0 win over Granada on Saturday, Carlo Ancelotti opted to make sweeping changes to the side that started against Bayern Munich at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday. One player who left the team was Federico Valverde, who has now not started in any of Los Blancos' last three La Liga games.
In the two previous occasions (vs Real Sociedad and Cadiz, Valverde was called from the bench. However, against Granada, he was not. As it turned out, it is the first time in the whole season that Valverde did not has not played in a Real Madrid match, with the previous match being the final game of the 2022-23 campaign (vs Athletic Club).
During that time, Valverde has played 50 games in a row for Real Madrid, accumulating almost 4,000 minutes, which is more than any other player in all of Europe this season.
Today ended a tremendous streak. For the first time this season, Fede Valverde did not play any minutes for Real Madrid.
There were 50 matches in a row. 1 full year and almost 4000 minutes played, more than any other footballer in Europe. What a machine is Federico Valverde. pic.twitter.com/VVVjimThR7
– Central Judge (@Juezcentral) May 11, 2024
It's a remarkable testament to Valverde's fitness levels that he hasn't missed a single game this season through injury problems, when so many of his teammates have been sidelined. He was really a fantastic player for Real Madridand will continue to do so for many years to come.