Real Madrid Now Has World’s Most Expensive Midfielder

Spanish soccer giant Real Madrid boasts the world’s most expensive midfielder according to expert site Transfermarkt, as highlighted by local newspaper AS.

The Madrid-based outlet ran a report on the Uruguayan entitled ‘Valverde, a new dimension’, which details how with veterans Luka Modric and Lucas Vazquez set to leave Madrid after the Club World Cup, Federico Valverde will have only Dani Carvajal ahead of him in the pecking order of first team captains.

About to embark on his eighth season in Los Blancos colors, Valverde has been an undisputed starter likely to enjoy similar prominence under Carlo Ancelotti’s successor Xabi Alonso.

He was the only player on the Italian’s watch to exceed 5,000 minutes (5,029 to be exact) in playing time across 59 games in 2024/2025, which saw him finish way ahead of teammates such as Kylian Mbappe (4,607 minutes) and Jude Bellingham (4,346 minutes) in that respect.

That was a season where we saw Valverde act as a Swiss army knife for his coach, and play a number of positions for the now Brazil boss including pivot, midfielder, right back and right winger.

With Trent-Alexander Arnold completing his long-awaited transfer from Liverpool before the weekend, it’s likely Valverde will no longer be required at right back and can perhaps concentrate on holding the fort yet also getting forward in the centre of the park.

Despite his more retreated position on regular occasions last time out, Valverde was the team’s leader with the most completed passes (3,122), passes to the final third (1,070), and interceptions (70).

He was also second in tackles (95) and recoveries (257), third in robbing the ball in the final third of the pitch (24), fourth in blocks (15), fifth in shots (85) and sixth in shots on goal (29) while amassing nine goals and eight assists.

This has contributed to forming a figure that AS says is “everywhere all at once”, and Valverde is expected to be crucial to Alonso in 2025/2026 where the main mission will be ending FC Barcelona’s newfound domestic dominance.

Real Madrid has the world’s most expensive midfielder

With all this in mind, Real Madrid now boasts the world’s most expensive midfielder in Valverde. Ninth overall on its list of the priciest footballers in the sport, his value has risen from $5.7 million (€5 million) to $148.4 million (€130 million) according to Transfermarkt.