Forlan: What Valverde did against Barcelona was unbelievable

Despite a stop-start season for Fede Valverde at Real Madrid, Diego Forlan believes that the youngster's part in Karim Benzema's spectacular goal against Barcelona was unbelievable and shows the improvement in the player.

Since breaking into the Real Madrid first team in 2018, the Uruguayan midfielder has been one of the key elements in Zinedine Zidane's squad, even more so given his versatility and never-say-die attitude, which was exemplified during the most recent Clasico against Barcelona.

In collaboration with Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Diego Forlan spoke exclusively to MARCA, and explained his relationship with Valverde and how he helped him during his first steps in Spanish football.

A: We talked, and we still talk each other. He's a really nice guy. He was really, really young - 17 years old - when I arrived at Penarol, and a couple of months later he was sold to [Real] Madrid. We spoke about [Real] Madrid and that he was going to one of the biggest clubs in the world. When he was on loan at [Deportivo] La Coruna, he was relegated and was having a really difficult season, because sometimes he was playing [and] sometimes he wasn't, and then they were losing too many games.

So, every once in a while, I was texting him and telling him that he needs to try to and learn as much as possible during his time at [Deportivo] La Coruna and then, in the next year, he will be at [Real] Madrid. And if it wasn't the next year, it would be the next one. But [he's] a talented player and he needed to work hard to learn from that experience at [Deportivo] La Coruna. And then [in] a couple years or the next year, he will be playing with the best players in the world, which he is doing now.

Not only them, all the other players. But those players you mentioned [stand out], because they are the ones that play in the same position that he plays. I think he's been growing game by game, year by year. For [Karim] Benzema's first goal against Barcelona, the way he got the ball and went past the players, and [then made] the pass... but the way he got the ball from his half of the pitch and then [kept] going all the way was unbelievable.

MARCA spoke to Diego Forlan courtesy of Enterprise Rent-a-Car. For more information around their UEFA Europa League sponsorship please visit www.enterprise.es/uel