Fede Valverde's football boots

Pajarito Valverde, as he is known throughout Uruguay, comes from one of South America’s biggest clubs, Peñarol, and it was whilst playing for them that he began to make a name for himself, eventually moving to Europe to play for Real Madrid.

‘Pajarito’ – a nickname which, although he is said not to be entirely keen on it, was coined by a coach when he was a child, who used to say he flew across the pitch, just as he does now. Even back then, as a youth player and before passing the trial that led to his move to Deportivo La Coruña, the Uruguayan chose to wear Nike Mercurial football boots, a choice that suits his style of play down to the ground.

Fede Valverde's weapons

A dynamic player who covers as much ground as Valverde, he benefits from one of the best traction systems on the market – perhaps the most aggressive – which clearly enhances that up-and-down movement so characteristic of the Uruguayan, which has the Santiago Bernabéu crowd in awe. The snug fit provided by Nike’s football boots allows the player not only to get into the box in a variety of situations, but also to finish with great precision, in the style of the strikers who wear Nike’s fastest boots.

For all those who think that Mercurials aren’t quite right for a midfielder and are only for fast players, perhaps you haven’t seen how Valverde plays. On matchday 16 of this season, the Uruguayan player recorded a top speed of 34.21 km/h, a figure on a par with or exceeding that of the league’s fastest players. As we can see, when it comes to speed too, Valverde is pure Mercurial.

To round off the technical details, another area where he excels is in ball recovery: he wins back countless balls, maintains his marking and isn’t afraid to slide in if the situation calls for it. In this position, the sole is key, as it allows him to move quickly on and off the pitch without losing his balance or his position.

These are Fede Valverde’s boots – a lad who came from Peñarol to burst onto the scene at Real Madrid and convince Zinedine Zidane himself that this Real Madrid side needed a Uruguayan. His boots are a splendid pair which, although designed for regular midfielders, have shown us – thanks to him – that they’re just as suitable and work perfectly. What do you think of Valverde’s season?