Real Madrid star Fede Valverde has backed away from repeating his bet with Manager Carlo Ancelotti this season, after scoring his first goal of the campaign against Real Sociedad.
Valverde bulleted in the equaliser at the Santiago Bernabeu, finding the inside of the post. After the match he spoke to the media and told Relevo that he would be waiting until he scored a few goals first before taking Ancelotti on a wager again. Last season Ancelotti told Valverde that if he didn’t score 10 goals then he would have to give up his coaching licence.
“Until I score a couple of goals, I’m not going to bet anything. If not, I’m in the oven [under the cosh]… I try to contribute however I can. When you score goals it helps you work harder. To be more motivated.”
The Uruguayan also backed up Ancelotti’s comments about conceding first, after an early Ander Barrenetxea goal put Los Blancos under pressure.
“We have to learn a lot from these things. From the mistakes we make in the first minutes. You’re not always going to come back. We have to engage in the match before that happens. Let it help us for the future.”
Valverde has become much beloved by the Santiago Bernabeu and now is one of the main characters in the Real Madrid dressing room. Much like most of the Real Madrid squad, he appears to have a strong bond with Ancelotti, who has seen many of them take a step up over the past two years, or given them a second wind.
Image via EFE / Rodrigo Jimenez
