Federico Santiago Valverde Dipetta (Spanish pronunciation: [feðeˈɾiko βalˈβeɾðe];[note 1] born 22 July 1998) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid and the Uruguay national team.

Valverde made his international debut for Uruguay in 2017, and has since represented his country at three Copa América tournaments (2019, 2021, 2024) and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

He had then his senior debut for the club on 16 August 2015 in their first fixture of the 2015–16 season against Cerro, during which he was guided and mentored by his childhood idol and teammate, Diego Forlán.

[13][14] He became part of the Uruguayan national youth teams and attracted the interest of European clubs, including Arsenal, Barcelona, Chelsea and Real Madrid.

[23] On 23 October 2018, Valverde made his official Real Madrid debut in the UEFA Champions League Group stage against Viktoria Plzeň at the Bernabéu at just 20 years old.

[26] With the return of Zinedine Zidane to the dugout and the departure of Marcos Llorente, Valverde broke through to become a key player of the squad during the 2019–20 season.

[29] Valverde was sent off, but his actions stopped what was a likely goal, forced a penalty shootout which Real Madrid won, and earned him the Man of The Match award and widespread praise.

[31] On 27 September, Valverde scored Real Madrid's first goal of the 2020–21 season away to Betis in La Liga in an eventual 3–2 win and was selected as the 'King of The Match'.

[41][42] On 9 April 2024, he scored a first-time volley in a 3–3 draw against Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals, which eventually earned him the honour of Goal of the Season.

FIFA called on Uruguay to explain Valverde's actions, as well as a celebratory photo of the squad in which several Celeste players made the same gestures.

[51] In the quarter-finals against Peru on 29 June, a goalless draw after regulation time had the match go to a penalty shoot-out, Uruguay lost 4–5 and was eliminated from the competition.

[54] Valverde's previous nickname was Pajarito (baby bird), but now refers to himself as Halcón (falcon), alluding to his growth as a professional footballer.

[56][57] Valverde allegedly punched Villarreal player Álex Baena in the Santiago Bernabéu car park following a 3–2 defeat in La Liga match on 8 April 2023.