Valverde Underrated World Football Star Praised By Alexander-Arnold After Madrid's 3-0 City Win

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Real Madrid took a strong step towards the Champions League quarter-finals with a 3-0 home victory over Manchester City, built on a first-half hat-trick from Federico Valverde. Trent Alexander-Arnold praised both the display and Valverde, calling the midfielder the world’s most underrated player after a dominant last-16 first leg.

Alexander-Arnold, who started on the right flank behind Valverde, highlighted the midfielder’s influence in glowing terms. "I am running out of words for himas a player, Alexander-Arnold told TNT Sports. He is undoubtedly the most underrated footballer on the planet. When you play with him you understand how much he gives to the team. He covers every blade of grass and gives his all. As a player, the best attribute you can have is that your team-mates can always count on you and he never lets us down."

Valverde struck three times in just 22 minutes, setting the tone for Real Madrid’s controlled win over Manchester City. The third goal stood out most, with the Uruguay international flicking the ball delicately over Marc Guehi before finishing a close-range volley. Vinicius Junior missed a chance to add a fourth, with Gianluigi Donnarumma saving a first-half penalty.

Given captaincy for the night, Valverde led Real Madrid in several attacking metrics against Manchester City. The midfielder registered a team-high three shots and created two chances, level with Vinicius. Valverde also attempted seven dribbles and contested 17 duels, winning four shots-related duels and 11 overall, underlining a complete Champions League performance.

Valverde’s treble also carried historical weight in the Champions League knockout rounds. It was only the fifth time a player scored a first-half hat-trick at this stage of the competition. The previous instances came from Lionel Messi against Arsenal in 2010, Robert Lewandowski versus Red Bull Salzburg in 2022, Erling Haaland against RB Leipzig in 2023 and Anthony Gordon earlier this season against Qarabag.

Real Madrid highlighted Valverde’s feat by linking it to club history, with a statistic comparing the midfielder to Pirri. The club noted that both players are the only Real Madrid midfielders to hit a European hat-trick. That achievement added further context to a night when the Spanish side moved into a strong position against Manchester City.

Real Madrid’s 3-0 success over Manchester City maintained a familiar pattern in European knockout ties. It was the 29th occasion the club had won the first leg of a European Cup or Champions League tie by three or more goals. On each of the previous 28 occasions, Real Madrid advanced from the tie.

Manchester City entered the match as favourites according to many analysts, despite Real Madrid’s record. Opta’s supercomputer gave Pep Guardiola’s team a 45.9% chance of progressing before kick-off. That figure came even though Real Madrid carried home advantage and had a strong Champions League history against leading European opponents.

Real Madrid also faced important absences against Manchester City, which deepened the sense of risk before the first leg. Kylian Mbappe was not considered fit enough to take part, while Jude Bellingham remained unavailable through injury. Defender Thiago Pitarch started instead and, in doing so, became the youngest Spanish player to start a Champions League knockout stage game for Real Madrid.

Alexander-Arnold underlined how Real Madrid used those doubts and setbacks as motivation. "Massive performance, Alexander-Arnold added. A lot of the noise when the draw was made and leading up to this game, especially with the way we have been playing and the results we have had.Alot of people expected us to get battered. But it shows the mentality. It doesn't matter what injuries we have got or players out. This competition matters a lot to the club and as players we understand that. We go out there and they support us like that and anyone can win. We have executed the gameplan perfectly. We had confidence coming into this game. We knew our gameplan, we executed it and scored our goals very ruthlessly. The size of the game is the main thing. I don't want to say that other games are less important but when there is so much hype around a game and so many eyes on it, you know you have to perform. When you play for a club like this the expectation is that you have to win."

The result leaves Real Madrid in a powerful position heading into the second leg against Manchester City, with history and current form supporting progression. Valverde’s display, Alexander-Arnold’s praise and the response to key absences all highlighted the squad’s mindset in the Champions League. The performance reinforced why Real Madrid often handle the competition’s biggest occasions effectively.